A thought for the Day

[JC2]

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is holy
Be still, O restless soul of mine
Bow before the Prince of peace
Let the noise and clamor cease
Be still

Be still and know that He is God
Be still and know that He is faithful
Consider all that he has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that He will never change
Be still

Be still and know that he is God
Be still and know he is our Father
Come rest your head upon his breast
Listen to the rhythm of his unfailing heart of love
Beating for His little ones
Calling each of us to come
Be still

:)

[dizneenut]

A very nice thought, JC2! :)
Thanks for sharing.

[kejoda]

Beautiful! Thanks for posting!

[Princess Michelle]

Love it JC2! :)

[Princess Michelle]

JC2, Do you mind if I add to your thoughts? :)

Day or night
Find your delight in knowing that
God is love

Rain or shine
Find your peace of mind in knowing that
God is love

Weary feet can dance in the wake of circumstance
When you remember
God is love

East and West
May every soul find rest in knowing that
God is love

Far and near
May each one hear the truth that
God is love

So that their spirits can rejoice
Oh, heed the still, small voice
Saying to us
I am love

In the beginning was love breathing life into creation
And for eternity there will be love
Therin lies our salvation
God is love

[helenabear]

Thank you both JC2 and Princess Michelle. Both very beautiful thoughts for the day!

[JC2]

I really like that, Michelle, that day or night, rain or shine, weary or not, God is love. Nothing changes that!

[JC2]

Hey everybody! :) I'm glad you like the thoughts that were posted. I jsut wanted to say please feel free to add you own! :)

[Buckalew]

One of the things that always amazes me about God is the fact that he loves me the same all the time. Whether I am faithful in my relationship to Him or I'm not. You know, as in my studying and prayer life. Some days are just better than others. And still, He loves me just the same.
Another thing tht always amazes me about God is that He loves someone who hates Him and doesn't believe in Him as much as He loves any believer in Him. THAT always amazes me...

And so...
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Only a God of love could do that. :)

[Princess Michelle]

Wonderful words you've added, Brenda. Thank you. :)

[JC2]

Wow Brenda! I totally agree with you! We could never earn or deserve His love. He just loves everyone. Period.
:)

[Dan Murphy]

Some very beautiful thoughts here. Thank you all so much. Any thoughts for today?? :sunny:

[binny]

wow thanks for the reminder some days I really need that! :D

[Dan Murphy]

Change
Each time we sense the possibility of a new direction in our lives, we are being given a chance to grow.


Change is the one constant in our life and yet it causes us the most unrest. We forget that change is growth and is good; it ensures our emotional and spiritual evolution. It promises us the blessings that are ours to collect on this special journey through life.

We can better develop our acceptance of change by systematically recalling instances in the past when change, whether minor or profound, ushered in new understanding, greater strength and confidence; where we were thus able to handle the role we'd been given to play.

God intends that we enlarge our capacity to love, to serve, and to understand. The changes we experience are the stair steps to this greater capacity.

Today I'll smile if a changing current for the good beckons, knowing that it's God's invitation to a richer life.



From the book, In God's Care
© 1991

[JC2]

Wow, Dan, thanks for posting that! :)

[Dan Murphy]

To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.
--Oscar Wilde

Most of us complicate the decision to love ourselves by seeing our
human imperfections as reasons for harsh judgment. Perhaps this
became a pattern for us as children. But we don't have to let our
feelings then control our decision to love and nurture ourselves
now.

The small child within each of us is profoundly in need of
unconditional love. Expressing love and nurturing ourselves
through affirmations, prayer, and meditation will break the control
our earlier thoughts had over us.

It may seem too simple to think that all we need is to decide to
love ourselves. But that's our task, one we may need to do daily
for weeks or months. With faith and perseverance, we will see the
results we hope for.

I will love all of me today. Even the not-so-perfect parts.

From the book, In God's Care
© 1991

[Dan Murphy]

"Life by the mile is a trial; by the inch it's a cynch."

In the past, we got into trouble when we thought we had to have
our lives mapped out forever. That just did not work.

We need only deal with the problems and joys of today. If we try
to see too far ahead, we lose touch with the reality of the here and
now. The Lord lets us know what we need to know when we need
to know it.

What seems impossible when looked at in total-writing a book,
putting the children through college, abstaining for the rest of our
lives-becomes manageable when worked at step by step, day by
day.

So many of the things we worry about never happen. How much
better it is to concentrate our energies on the real demands and
challenges of today, insignificant as they may seem. When we
turn our lives over to our Higher Power, we trust Him to manage
the master plan and to direct us in the small details of living each
day.

From
Food for Thought by Elisabeth L.
copyright 1980

[JC2]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
The Lord lets us know what we need to know when we need to know it... trust Him to manage the master plan and to direct us in the small details of living each day.

So many of the things we worry about never happen.
This is soooo true!
Thanks Dan! :)

[Dan Murphy]

To believe in something not yet proved and to underwrite it with
our lives; it is the only way we can leave the future open.
--Lillian Smith

Today stands before us, ready for our involvement. And it will
offer us opportunities for personal growth and occasion to help
another make progress on her path to the future. Challenges are to
be expected. They further our purpose. They foster our maturity.

How different it is, for many of us, to look forward today with
secure anticipation, to trust in what the future holds! We can still
remember, all too vividly perhaps, the darker periods in our lives,
periods that seemed to hold no promise; a time when we dreaded
the future, fearing it would only compound those awful times.

The fear and the dread are not gone completely. They hover about
us, on occasion. They no longer need to darken all of a day,
however. We can recognize their presence as parts of our whole,
not all of it. How free we are, today! Our choices are many.

I can step toward today with assurance, reaching out to others
along the way, trusting that my accumulated steps add stability to
my future.


Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey copyright 1982, 1991

[believe]

Thanks for all the wonderful thoughts.

[JC2]

<Font color="darkblue">
<B>Life Means So Much</B> by Chris Rice

Every day is a journal page
Every man holds a quill and ink
And there's plenty of room for writing in
All we do is believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessings
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or some random sketchings

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
Somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

Every day is a bank account
And time is our currency
So no one's rich, nobody's poor
We get twenty-four hours each
So how are you gonna spend
Will you invest or squander
Try to get ahead
Or help someone who's under

Has anybody lived who knew the value of a life
And didn't He give His own
To show the worth of yours and mine?

Every day is a gift you've been given,
Make the most of the time every minute you're living
</Font>

[Dan Murphy]

Today will call each of us to make our particular contributions to
the moment. There is no guarantee that we will enjoy every
experience, but we can be certain each one of them will teach us
something we're ready to learn because "when the student is ready,
the teacher appears."

Little reflection is necessary for us to realize that our most
troubling times have generally been responsible for our greatest
growth. Our achievements are always accompanied by periods of
frustration, occasional loss of direction, even momentary despair
because the actual results miss the mark of our hopes. However,
the passage of time makes clear that these actual results benefit us
far more than those we'd hoped for.

Our personal vision is narrow and limiting. We can't really
imagine what's in store for us. The most we can do is trust that our
experiences have our best interests in tow.

I'll remember: Today I'm a student and my experiences are my
teachers.


from the book--
The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg copyright 1983, 1991

[helenabear]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Little reflection is necessary for us to realize that our most
troubling times have generally been responsible for our greatest
growth.

No words have ever been more true in my life!

[Dan Murphy]

One of the most elusive truths we'll ever struggle to grasp is that
everyone has a unique perspective about every circumstance, a
perspective that reflects a personal understanding of the universe.
We never doubt that truth for ourselves, of course. We simply fail
to acknowledge that it's true for everyone else too.

There are times we can't shake the need to be right; our egos seem
to depend on it. Unfortunately, we can't maintain any real
peacefulness if we are always in conflict with others who have
their own viewpoints. Winning the "battle" then becomes a painful
victory. Believing in valid, separate realities is only difficult at
first. But like any other opinion or attitude, it can become habit
with enough practice. We have nothing to lose by giving it a try.

I don't need everyone to agree with me today. I only think I do.

A Woman's Spirit by Karen Casey copyright 1994

[Dan Murphy]

Becoming quiet brings the search for answers to an end.

Problems are opportunities for growth. They let us experience the wisdom of other people when we ask for help. They assure us a better connection to our Higher Power if we want it. And they give us chances to practice inner silence and find the place where all answers ultimately reside. Going within offers us profound calm, the love and the secure comfort of our Higher Power. Until we have sampled that gift, we can't fathom what we have missed in life. Acknowledging the presence of God changes every situation we encounter. It changes every detail of every day.

Let's not fear problems. Instead, let's see them as mere reminders that we have forgotten to remember the presence of our Higher Power. Taking a few moments to travel within will bring us clarity and comfort. Peace will come along with the problem's resolution.

I will receive the answer I need if I look in the right place.

A Life of my Own by Karen Casey.

[Robinrs]

Being Still is the hardest part of my walk here on this earth...

and the most necessary.

People tell me that I am patient... I am not. I have lived long enough to realize that I am NOT in charge.


Exodus 14:14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

[EROS]

I turned to speak to God
About the world's despair;
But to make bad matters worse
I found God wasn't there.


Robert Frost

[JC2]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Acknowledging the presence of God changes every situation we encounter.

Yes, it does. It really does.

And, Robin, I sooo agree with you - that "being still" is amazingly hard. Too often I'm not "still" until I've tried to work it all out. :rolleyes: But I find the greatest peace when I just rest and let Him work it out - just as that verse says that you posted. And I find that He is true and so faithful to His word.

Thanks, y'all, for encouraging words tonight :)

[helenabear]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Let's not fear problems. Instead, let's see them as mere reminders that we have forgotten to remember the presence of our Higher Power. Taking a few moments to travel within will bring us clarity and comfort. Peace will come along with the problem's resolution.
I wish I had read this earlier Dan. Sometimes I swear you pick exactly what I need to hear ;)

Robin, your thoughts are wonderful!! As JC2 said, I do think it is very hard to be still at many moments in my life. I especially like this thought I have lived long enough to realize that I am NOT in charge. I hope someday I will be able to "let go" more often and let Him take charge!

Thank you both Robin & Dan for those great thoughts!

[Dan Murphy]

Sometimes we need to look hard at a person and remember that he is doing the best he can. He's just trying to find his way. That's all.
--Ernest Thompson

Sometimes we need to look hard at ourselves at the end of a day and give ourselves credit for doing our best. We need to look at our actions and reactions as objectively as possible. Now is the time to review and focus on the positive outcomes, not the negative.

The mere fact that we got out of bed, got dressed, and faced the day are sometimes acts of courage and strength. We didn't run from the day; we faced it, even with feelings of anxiety or sadness or fear. What matters is this -- that we tried to do the best we could.

Let's look back over the events of the day and remember we did the very best we could to find our own way today.

How did I do the best I could today? What good things have I learned about me?

From the book Night Light by Amy Dean.

[helenabear]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
The mere fact that we got out of bed, got dressed, and faced the day are sometimes acts of courage and strength. We didn't run from the day; we faced it, even with feelings of anxiety or sadness or fear. What matters is this -- that we tried to do the best we could.

I like this thought very much :)

[ead79]

Lord prepare me
To be a Sanctuary
Pure and holy
Tried and true
With thanksgiving
I'll be a living
Sanctuary for You

This chorus has been in my head and heart, so I thought I would share it with you all. This week at the BSU, the pastor gave a message about abiding in Christ. He said that we as Christians let Jesus abide in us, but often don't make a true effort to abide in Him, making us often not experience the abundant life He has for us. The message really spoke to me, and I am making an effort to really abide in Him this week. "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

[Dan Murphy]

Elisabeth, I like your pastor's thoughts. Very true. :sunny:


The hand that gives gathers.
--English proverb

Maybe we grew up believing somehow that to give is to lose. We
were taught to believe, or came to the conclusion on our own, that
when we give away something, we have to do without it; to give
meant to experience loss.

Now, our spiritual friends show us a love that demands nothing in
return, and we have a different attitude. We discover that when we
give in a spirit of generosity, we lose nothing at all. When we
share our love with others, we feel loved. When we share a
material possession, we feel rich. The opposite is true, too, of
course. When we withhold love, we feel unloved, and when we
don't share what we have, we feel the loss of something.

There is a spiritual maxim at work here. We can give of ourselves
and have everything, or we can withhold ourselves and experience
spiritual poverty.

Give what you have. It is the way to be truly happy.

In God's Care by Karen Casey

[Dan Murphy]

It is wealth to be content.

On the evening of the first day of spring, a woman gave her husband a bright right geranium in a clay pot. To celebrate, he placed it on the window sill, and together they marveled at the delicate petals.

In the harsher light of the morning, though, the man frowned at the geranium and said to his wife, "How shabby it makes the sofa look." They spent the day at the furniture store and came home with a new couch, blue and red flowers, like the geranium. They placed the couch in the front of the window sill and admired together its grace and line and fashionable upholstery.

But the next morning, the man frowned at the couch and said, "How shabby it makes the carpet look." Soon they had a lavish new carpet, which led to new curtains, lamps, and chairs. When the room was completely redone, they set the geranium back in the window and surveyed the finest room in the neighborhood. The man frowned. "The geranium," he said, "it's out of place. It will have to go."

Will I be able to appreciate life's simple pleasures today?

Today's Gift--anonymous

[helenabear]

Originally posted by ead79
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5
One of my favorite verses... thank you!


What is poor?

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad." "Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked. "Oh Yeah" said the son. "So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them." With this the boy's father was speechless. Then his son added,"Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are."

[Dan Murphy]

Very true words, Elaine, very true.


The worst moment for one who does not believe in God is when he is really thankful and has nobody to thank.
— Dante Gabriel Rossetti

We can look back on our old life and be thankful for what we are like now. Although it is useless to dwell on the past, it is sometimes helpful to cast a backward glance. It sharpens our gratitude. The blessings we experience today are in such stark contrast to the misery we used to endure.

We examine the serendipity — all the good things that are happening to us — and we know not to take credit ourselves. We express gratitude to God because we know the good things are not accidental.

I pray that I remain grateful for God's help.



In God's Care by Karen Casey

[Dan Murphy]

All things work together for good to them that love God.
—Romans 8:28

Sometimes it's very hard to believe that God knows what He's doing. We are told to stop trying to control everything, so we do. We "Let Go," we "Turn It Over." We pry our grip off people, places, and things. As much as we want to hang on, we force ourselves to let God run the show. Then we wait and watch for the good things to start happening.

Most of the time events continue to unfold as unevenly as they always did. Accidents happen while setbacks, injustices, and evil get rewarded, and good goes begging. We feel that our letting go is mocked, that God isn't doing a better job than we did. Why isn't He performing?

But God can write straight with crooked lines. God's timetable may well not be the same as ours. What is asked is that we learn to believe without seeing and to trust when it seems we could do so much better.

Today, I pray for the faith to go the distance. Like a child leaping into a parent's arms, I know that l am too precious to drop.



From the book, Days of Healing Days of Joy

[helenabear]

Thank you Dan... I have found myself feeling this way many times myself. I'll try to remember about being too precious to drop :)

[EROS]

A drunk that smelled like a brewery got on a bus one day. He sat down next to a priest. The drunk's shirt was stained, his face was full of bright red lipstick and he had a half empty bottle of wine sticking out of his pocket. He opened his newspaper and started reading---a couple of minutes later he asked the priest, "Father what causes arthritis"?

"Mister, it's caused by loose living, being with cheap wicked women,too much alcohol and contempt for your fellow man".

"Well I'll be damned", the drunk muttered and returned to reading his paper.

The priest, thinking about what he said turned to the man and apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come on so strong---how long have you had arthritis"?

"I don't, father, I was just reading in the paper that the Pope has it".

[Buckalew]

Amen, Dan. Something I struggle with: thinking I should be able, or just am able, to be control. That God's ways and mine are different and that He knows what is best for my life. I know this in my heart, but, at times, I just try to be in control. Life is very different if you let God be in control. Right now, I struggle... :( But I am grateful that He understands my struggle and loves me just the same. :)

Eros, Although I think you posted to the wrong thread, I'll just comment that it IS a joke to say that disease and bad things only happen to bad people. God lets it rain on the just and the unjust.

[Boots]

Beautiful thought, thank you!

[EROS]

Originally posted by Buckalew
. God lets it rain on the just and the unjust.

I couldn't agree with you MORE, Buc. I've seen both the righteous AND the sinful afflicted with a host of terrible illnesses.

Of course, when GOD the omnipotent "takes" our beloved, innocent children, then he/she has a "plan" which is unfathomable to mere mortals:( :( :( :(

[JC2]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
God's timetable may well not be the same as ours. What is asked is that we learn to believe without seeing and to trust when it seems we could do so much better.

Today, I pray for the faith to go the distance. Like a child leaping into a parent's arms, I know that l am too precious to drop.


This is so good Dan. Thank you.

<Font color="darkblue">
Great is Thy faithfulness
O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness Lord unto me

Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness Lord unto me</Font>

[helenabear]

JC2, I wanted to say that I enjoy your good thoughts you always share. Also I wanted to say how much I love your signature Be still and know that He is God. Be still and know that He is faithful.
That in itself is a great thought to hear every day :)

[JC2]

Thank you Elaine :)
I appreciate the encouragement and kindness that we can all share with each other.

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by JC2
Thank you Elaine :)
I appreciate the encouragement and kindness that we can all share with each other.

Encouragement and kindness are good for the soul, both the receiver's, and the giver's.

[Dan Murphy]

A weed is but an unloved flower.
--Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Through actively loving one another we nurture the richness of
everyone's fuller expression. With no more than a nod of attention
we can elicit a smile or perhaps a commitment to attempt again a
challenge that defeated us earlier. None of us shines as brightly,
moves as swiftly, or succeeds as easily as when someone special is
rooting in our corner.

We each need someone special, and let's not forget that we are
someone special to another who is walking our path. The
loneliness of a day is diminished when we feel the love of someone
near or far. The dread of any task is lessened, when we bask in the
knowledge that we are special to someone. Like roses, we bloom
while under the gaze of loving eyes. Let's remember to nurture the
rose within the friends and strangers who are walking our way
today.

Worthy of Love by Karen Casey,

[helenabear]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy


Encouragement and kindness are good for the soul, both the receiver's, and the giver's.

Very true Dan :)



"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."
- Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

[helenabear]

Dan, that last thought you shared was beautiful... thank you :)

[helenabear]

"Some people think only intellect counts: knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion and empathy."
Dean Koontz

"To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven."
Karen Sunde

[Dan Murphy]

There are persons who have some parts like me, but no one adds
up exactly like me.
--Virginia Satir

Most of us feel pretty ordinary. We probably wish we were taller or shorter. Some of us are fat rather than thin. Few of us have perfect skin or teeth. Often we look at others, compare ourselves, and wish we were different. At these times, it's important to remember that each of us is special. We differ from others because we're created for different purposes.

Some of us will make a contribution to the world of sports, some to the art of music. Teaching or medicine will attract others and yet, no two of us will give to the world in the same way. Our unique mixture of looks, attitudes, and abilities will be special and very necessary to the people sharing our lifetime.

How can I give my special gift to the world today?

--from Today's Gift by Anonymous

[helenabear]

Thank you for that quote Dan... I really needed to hear that one :)

I have heard this one many times before but I always love to see and hear it:
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
-Leo Buscaglia

[Lady M]

Hi, JC2! I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy reading your always thoughtful and inspiring posts. It is people like you that keep me coming back to the DIS.

[JC2]

Marie, you are so kind. I really am glad you are a part of the DIS. :)

[Dan Murphy]

Happiness may well consist primarily of an attitude toward time.
— Robert Grudin

What we selectively choose to do and say from the array of thoughts and feelings flowing through us at any given time is defined by our attitude. We are learning now to what degree we can shape our attitude moment by moment. Accepting responsibility for this is a major step in our recovery.

This responsibility can feel like an awesome burden some days. No longer can we blame someone else or a stressful situation for our actions; we are no longer hapless victims of our environment. Our words and actions clearly reflect the attitude we bring to a situation.

We can be thrilled with this responsibility. We can make positive choices about how to express our feelings. Our goal is a consistent attitude of joy and gratitude that will foster blessings wherever we find ourselves.

I will be aware of the thoughts and feelings that shape my words and actions today, and strive to promote joy and gratitude.



In God's Care

[helenabear]

Nice thoughts Dan... thanks :)

Originally posted by JC2
Marie, you are so kind. I really am glad you are a part of the DIS. :)
I have to completely agree with Jennifer on this one :)

[JC2]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Our words and actions clearly reflect the attitude we bring to a situation.
Our goal is a consistent attitude of joy and gratitude that will foster blessings wherever we find ourselves.

I will be aware of the thoughts and feelings that shape my words and actions today, and strive to promote joy and gratitude.


This is so true. It is very easy to only be "happy" during easy times, but true joy will rise in us during hard times as well as good times. This, I believe, is because true joy is not based on circumstances.

[Hemi-mom]

JC22MUCH! I love this thread...you dun diditagin!

Thought for the day...

For God...............................the greatest lover
So Loved.............................the greatest degree
The World............................the greatest number
That He gave.......................the greatest act
His Only begotten Son...........the greatest gift
That Whosoever....................the greatest invitation
Believeth...............................the greatest simplicity
In Him....................................the greatest Person
Should not perish...................the greatest deliverance
But.........................................the greatest difference
Have......................................the greatest certainty
Everlasting Life......................the greatest possession

--John 3:16

[JC2]

Dude, Jilllll!! I love that! Thanks for posting! :D

[Buckalew]

JC2,
This is so true. It is very easy to only be "happy" during easy times, but true joy will rise in us during hard times as well as good times. This, I believe, is because true joy is not based on circumstances.

Perfect! The difference between joy and happiness. :)

[Hemi-mom]

<font size=4> Wisdom…

A grandfather said to his six-year-old granddaughter, "I’ll give you a quarter if you can tell me where God is."

The young girl wisely replied, "I’ll give you two quarters if you can tell me where God isn’t." </font>

[Dan Murphy]

Wise indeed, Hemi-mom. :sunny:

Love must be learned, and learned again and again; there is no end to it. Hate needs no instruction, but only waits to be provoked.
- Katherine Anne Porter

We often enter into our relationships believing there is one perfect way to act, and if we can only find that way, we'll be successful, accepted. But there is no such thing as "one best way" to be with another person. The wonder of any relationship is that it involves two imperfect people.

Believing that perfection will ensure love is addictive thinking. Love is a gift that must be given freely; there is nothing we can do to control someone else's choice to love us or not love us. All we can do is our part by teaming each day to love as best we can. It may be difficult to find within ourselves such qualities as emotional maturity; separateness, honesty; forgiveness, patience, and self-respect. But those are the very qualities we must cultivate to love someone else.

It can be frightening to trust another person enough to take risks and let go of the outcome. But love is a risk that's worth it.


---Answers In The Heart

[helenabear]

Jill, very very wise words indeed :sunny:

Dan, that was a beautiful thought there... I will try to keep these words in my mind more often. Very true is this part in particular: It can be frightening to trust another person enough to take risks and let go of the outcome. But love is a risk that's worth it.

Thank you all for these great thoughts!!!

[Dan Murphy]

Service is the rent you pay for room on this earth.
--Shirley Chisholm

None of us could have reached this day entirely on our own. Each
of us can look back at moments in our lives when we've been
helped or encouraged by another person. A family member,
teacher, sponsor, or friend may have offered us mentoring or
unconditional love. The words or example of a stranger, a public
figure, an artist, or a writer may have afforded us inspiration at just
the moment when we needed encouragement.

We can do no less for others as we continue our own journeys. We
do not have to take responsibility for others' lives, nor should we
disregard our own needs. But there are many ways we can make a
difference, each according to our preference. We can offer time
and talent to our community, recovery program, or family of
choice. We can share our experience, strength, and hope with
individuals or groups. We can show up and do some of the work
that's necessary to maintain the institutions that have offered so
much to us. We can keep it by giving it away.


Glad Day by Joan Larkin

[helenabear]

As always, thank you Dan!


Whether or not we realize it each of us has a special gift inside us just waiting to surface!...We owe developing these gifts not only to ourselves, but those around us as well... The important thing here is not what your gift is as much as that you develop it so that you can share it with those around you and in the process further your own personal life!... Once we have identified our special talents it doesn't matter whether or not we find immediate success in them, what does matter is that we take a step each day towards our intended goal! ~Josh Hinds

[Dan Murphy]

People may doubt what I say, but they always believe what I do.
—Ellie E.


It's maddening and frustrating when people don't believe what we say. Not that they think we're liars, exactly—just that they don't believe us. When we tell them we've made a commitment, for example, they may just roll their eyes as if to say, "Oh sure, tell me another one."

Actions speak a lot louder than words. Before, maybe many times before, we might have told the same people about making the same commitment. And then we gave it up almost as soon as we said it. Eventually our words have no credence to anyone— including ourselves. If we want people to believe us, we have to follow up on what we say. If we say we won't tolerate abuse, we have to do what it takes to stop it. If we say we are going to take better care of ourselves, we have to make a plan of action and stick to it. Talk is cheap.

It is amazing how quickly we can regain credibility when we walk our talk.


---Days of Healing, Days of Joy

[Dan Murphy]

Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living.
— Abraham Heschel

There are many ways to pray, and each of us has a style that uniquely expresses our spirituality. Once we open ourselves to our Higher Power we can get comfortable with our own way of praying. It may mean leaving past ways behind. Maybe we've been used to prayer that relied only on words. Perhaps we used to pray for what we wanted, making sure we told God precisely what was best for us and everybody else. Or maybe we didn't pray at all because we didn't know how to or were afraid.

We need not worry about how to pray; our Higher Power shows us how. We must, however, be willing to move from the everyday world to a place where it is just our Higher Power and us. It is an exciting part of our spiritual journey to develop new ways to pray, trusting our relationship with our Higher Power to deepen the experience. What matters is that we give ourselves to it. When our prayer is from the heart, we know it and are at peace.

---Answers In The Heart

[helenabear]

When our prayer is from the heart, we know it and are at peace. very true...


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.--Author Unknown

[Dan Murphy]

No human creature can give orders to love.
--George Sand

If we're trying to get others to love us, all we're really doing is
trying to be in control. Trying to control others can be a powerful
drug. Remember, we can't control others. We can't make others
love us. Our Higher Power has control, not us.

So, what do we need to do? Turn things over to our Higher Power
and just be ourselves.

Sure, it can scare us to just be ourselves. The truth is, not everyone
will love us. But if we're honest about who we are, others will
respect us. We'll like ourselves better. And we'll have a better
chance of loving others and being loved.


--Keep It Simple by Anonymous

[Buckalew]

Helenabear and dan,
I love all of these. :) The fact that a higher power does help us pray was something I learned not long ago. The Holy Spirit does just this for us with each prayer and I'm thankful to Him for that. Sometimes, I just have a hard time expressing myself. (Hush, Dan. ;) )

Turning things over to a higher power... for a control freak like me, that is something I have to give to God everyday.

[Hemi-mom]

Laura Wilkinson, after receiving the Olympic Gold medal for platform diving in Sydney 2000 games quotes the apostle Paul in the Bible..."I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13, giving credit where credit is due!

[Hemi-mom]

"[God] is not proud...He will have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything else to Him."

C.S. Lewis--The Problem of Pain

[Hemi-mom]

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks right to the top, rocks about 2" in diameter. He then asked the
students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in to the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles,of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed. He asked his students
again if the jar was full? They agreed that yes, it was. The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up every-thing else.

"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the
important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children - anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The pebbles represent things like your
job, house, or car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff."

"If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important."

Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out dancing.
There will always be time to go to
work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.
Take care of the rocks first - the
things that really matter.
Set your priorities, the rest is just pebbles and sand.

[helenabear]

Hemi-mom I love what you just posted... so very very true and I wanted to say I must be blind, but I just now noticed your tag Those who sing pray twice I really love that though a lot :D

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Sure, it can scare us to just be ourselves. The truth is, not everyone
will love us. But if we're honest about who we are, others will
respect us. We'll like ourselves better. And we'll have a better
chance of loving others and being loved.
This struck me as very true... thank you for that great thought Dan...

[Dan Murphy]

Jilly, I love the rock analogy, so true.


Strain and struggle abound when we try to do everything
ourselves, our way. We want positive change to occur
immediately and expect miracles to happen according to our
personal timetable. We sometimes feel that if our Higher Power is
guiding us, we should be able to accomplish great and marvelous
things constantly.

To remember "easy does it" is to humbly realize that we are not
all-powerful and that God does not expect us to be all things to all
people. Growth is slow, time belongs to God, and change will
occur according to His plan. If we do the jobs we have been given
for this 24-hour period, our Higher Power will take care of
tomorrow.

How much more agreeable life is when we do not overextend
ourselves but admit our weakness and trust God to take care of us.
We do not shirk our share, but we do not try to carry the whole
load. Only our Higher Power is strong enough to do that.

---Food for Thought by Elisabeth L.

[helenabear]

Thank you Dan... I really needed to see that one right now :)

[Hemi-mom]

"In the beginning, God created..."--Genesis 1:1

"God is so powerful that "nothing" obeys Him. Look to the skies...look into your child's eyes...behold your awesome God." --Robert Gelinas

[Hemi-mom]

Originally "Quoted" by Dan Murphy
Growth is slow, time belongs to God, and change will occur according to His plan. --Elizabeth L.

In his book, See Yourself as God Sees You, Josh McDowell talks about his personal experience with transformation as a process...

"When I trusted Christ as my Savior, my perception of who I am was not transformed automatically. I did not enjoy immediate victory over the deep scars of my past. However when I trusted Christ, I did receive the Holy Spirit, who has helped heal old wounds and helped restore my true identity. From that point on it has been a process of growth toward seeing myself through God's eyes and learning to behave accordingly. The positive changes I find in myself today seem almost unbelievable. Still after all these years the process continues. It will until I die.

As a Christian I have become a new person inside. At that point, the process of understanding my true identity began. Paul tells us, 'Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!' (2 Corinthians 5:17)

If you are like me, you have wished that some of the external things about your past had changed. You may also have some past experiences that you wish would disappear. But the newness Paul talked about is spiritual in nature. It describes the internal changes that begin to affect us as we start to grow spiritually in the weeks and months after our conversion. We come to see ourselves as God sees us, through an ongoing intimate relationship with Him."


Originally "Quoted" by Dan Murphy
How much more agreeable life is when we do not overextend ourselves but admit our weakness and trust God to take care of us. --Elizabeth L.

The above quote applies to WHO WE ARE as well as WHAT WE DO! :)

[Hemi-mom]

"Those who sing, pray twice!" --Saint Augustine :D

[helenabear]

When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and
love has always won. There have always been tyrants and murderers, and for a
time they can seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Think of it,
always. Whenever you are in doubt that that is God's way, the way the world
is meant to be, think of that -- and then try to do it His way.
--Gandhi

[Hemi-mom]

"Most of us follow our conscience as we follow a wheelbarrow--we push it in front of us in the direction we want to go." --Billy Graham

"As a part of our fallen nature, the conscience is subject to change as determined by our desires. Place your confidence in the unchanging Word of God; under its direction, the conscience can be become a useful tool of the Holy Spirit." ---In Touch Magazine , April 2002

[Dan Murphy]

I do enjoy these very much. So many good thoughts here. Thanks, guys. :sunny:

[Hemi-mom]

Originally "Quoted" by Dan Murphy
There are persons who have some parts like me, but no one adds up exactly like me. --Virginia Satir
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm so wonderfully made
You're so wonderfully made
God has made us in a special way
and we're so wonderfully made

I'm so wonderfully, you're so wonderfully, we're so wonderfully made!

Even when you could not see me, before the day that I was born
I was so wonderfully, you were so wonderfully, we were so wonderfully made!

I'm so wonderfully made
You're so wonderfully made
God has made us in a special way
and we're so wonderfully made---Robert Evans, THE DONUT MAN

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16

[Dan Murphy]

Sometimes we need to be empty.

Sometimes it's good to be quiet and alone. How else do we
become acquainted with the inner self? If we're constantly
bombarded by external stimuli - noise, people, activities, demands
- we risk losing our center, or never finding it.

Our impulse often is to try to fill ourselves up - with food,
possessions, thoughts, plans, worries, accomplishments. We fear
being empty, as though if we were empty we might very well cease
to exist. We fear the void within.

Meditation teaches us that being empty is not a dreadful
experience. On the contrary, when we empty ourselves of our
busyness, we are refreshed and recreated. We are able to receive
insights and hear what our deeper self has to tell us. Spending
some time each day being quiet and alone puts us in touch with our
center and enables us to listen to the inner voice.

---Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L.

[helenabear]

Life Creed by Adonea ©1990

To be alone, but not lonely.
To desire, instead of crave.
To do with or without, with no effect/reaction.
To give freely, and expect nothing in return.
To do, for the sake of doing.
To stop searching, only listen to our small quiet voice.
To not question everything, just to feel and Know.
To be Now, not in past or future.
To live life with Joy and Love.
To trust and love the self, and show your Truth and Love to all the world.

[Dan Murphy]

The other day I passed by a homeless person sleeping in the street.
I studied his face-rough, tired, defeated. As I experienced
compassion for his situation, I went back in time and imagined
what he looked like as an infant-full of hope and expectation. I
also realized that despite outward circumstances, this inner child
was still alive within him. For the next few days I perceived the
inner child behind the masks of all whom I encountered.

What does this inner child want? It wants to be held, touched, and
loved. It wants to belong. It wants to have fun, laugh, and play.
What does this inner child provide? It gives us aliveness, energy,
joy, and vitality. It gives us curiosity and a sense of wonder. It
gives us life.

Most of us have paid too little attention to the child within. In a
culture where striving for success makes life a "serious" business,
we suffer from a common malady-a lack of connection with our
childlike nature and the joy it brings.

It is said, "Unless you become as a little child, you cannot enter the
kingdom of God." Resolve each day to ask your child what he or
she needs or wants. Spend time getting to know him or her. Then
note the increased vitality that comes from connecting with that
central part of yourself.

---Listening to Your Inner Voice by Douglas Bloch

[helenabear]

Very nice... thank you Dan :)

[Dan Murphy]

The harried hen scurried about her house, trying to put it in order.
Some friends she hadn't seen for years were due to arrive later that
day, and she wanted everything perfect for them. In a flurry, she
made the bed, put away the dishes, and scrubbed the floor. Oh
dear, she thought in dismay, I meant to wash the sheets today.
Frantically, she flew back to the bedroom and tore the sheets from
the made bed.

Just then, a neighbor arrived and stood at hen's door, watching her
anxiously rush about. "Dear Hen," he said in a patient, loving
tone, for he was quite fond of her, "You will never enjoy your visit
if you continue to race about. Come. Sit and rest and tell me of
these friends. Have you any snapshots?" The hen did as her
neighbor suggested, and soon her friends arrived to find her
relaxed, refreshed, and warm with the memories of them.

What is my real work for the day?

---Today's Gift by Anonymous

[Hemi-mom]

Yes, Dan! Thank you for the post above. The Scripture in Doug Bloch's quote is from Mark 10:14-15... "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me for such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly I say to you, whoever does not recieve the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.'"

Not only must we find our inner child, but also approach life from that perspective, realizing that God wants us to come to Him as children. Simple faith and trust is what He desires most, like any parent. God wants so much to be our "daddy," our provider, our source of joy and our protector. When we connect with our inner child we see more and more our need to become reliant on our Heavenly Father, no matter our age! Amazingly enough, becoming a parent myself has enabled me to more fully understand God's desire to love me so sacrificially and MY need to trust him as a His child.

We must then recognize that people (like the homeless on the street) are hurting so badly. Often, they need others to show them the love of God, by touching them and loving them sacrificially (as God does) so that they can come to trust Him as a child.


Your post also reminded me of a song written by one of my FAVORITE artists, Bryan Duncan:

A Child's Love
by Bryan Duncan

I see the pages fall from the calendar
Like the leaves falling from the trees
Feel a chill in the fear of the future
As I weather this autumn breeze

I watch my red-haired inspiration
Playing games out on the lawn
Such an innocent joy of living
He's his father's only son

Don't let me live without a child's love
Like the love in this child of mine
Teach me, dear Lord, to have a love for you
A child's love

I let the changes in my season
Steal the passion from my heart
Like the roses fade in the winter
All the petals fall apart

Until a young voice gives my withered soul
A rejuvenating smile
And those small hands clasped around me
Erase the hardship for awhile

Don't let me live without a child's love
Like the love in this child of mine
Teach me again about a child's love
And sharing the best of my time,
Oh, and don't let me live without a child's love
Like the love in this child of mine
Teach me, dear Lord, to have a love for you
A child's love

[Hemi-mom]

Harried Hen turned Cheerful Chicken...sign me up!:D

[Tiggerlover91]

ALL OF THESE POSTS ARE AMAZING!! I don't know why I'm so surprised to see them here on the community board. I have to say that's is so nice to see GOD talked about in such a wonderful way and reading all these wonderful thoughts for the day. Here lately, I've been having a really hard time with my belief and faith in GOD. DH and I are still having trouble paying rent and I know that the eviction is coming soon. Even with the second job, it's just too hard to catch up when I'm a month and a half past due. I asked DH a few days ago, if GOD was blessing us then why are we so in debt to our landlord. Charles said if GOD WASN'T blessing us....why is there a roof still over our head since rent hasn't been paid this month?? I had to really run that one through my mind. My account was overdrawn by $140.00 and that very same day I found out, I made $70 at the Pizza parlor, and had two paychecks which totalled $77. Does everyone see that adds up to $147??!! No accident I had just enough money to get my account back to zero was it?
I do believe in GOD and I know that he will do what he's promised to do.....HE WILL NEVER YOU NOR FORSAKE YOU. (Forgive me, I'm not sure what book that comes from in the bible, I just know that my DH has to constantly remind me of that) I don't have cool stories to share, but I do have three verses that I'd like to share. They are bumper stickers on my car and I've gotten a lot of compliments from them.

WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
NO JESUS NO PEACE.....KNOW JESUS KNOW PEACE
Real men read THE INSTRUCTIONS. (The last one is very cool because behind the words are bible verses. A lot of people don't understand it, unless they get closer to it and can see it. I also enjoy this too...

GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.
---THE SERENITY PRAYER



All these posts were wonderful, thanks everyone, they have helped quite a bit. Wish DH and I luck with the apartment thing...no don't wish us luck...pray for us...it works so much better. :)

~~~Denise :wave: :sunny: :sunny: :wave:

[Dan Murphy]

Excellent thoughts and advise, Denise. We must not give up on the Lord.

I have never let me schooling
Interfere with my education.
--Mark Twain

Education doesn't only happen within the four walls of a
classroom or school. We can learn in almost every situation, at
almost every moment of the day. Our teachers don't need a wall
covered with framed degrees from schools or universities. In some
cases, our teachers are those who have been through what we have
been through. They can light the way for us. Often, they have
something we don't-like serenity-that they are willing to share
with us. They may teach us by being an example for us, or they
may share with us how they found peace in recovery.

As learners, our main task is to keep an open mind, to be willing to
listen, and to ask questions. Most important is our willingness to
learn. The teacher usually appears when the student is ready.

---Body, Mind, and Spirit by Anonymous

[Tiggerlover91]

Thank you Papa Dan, I appreciate the kind words. If anyone has any words for me, I would love to hear them. I can use all the kind words I can get right now.

[stamper]

Hi everyone! JC...you always come up w/ great threads!!

Denise, your post really touched me! You will be in my prayers...let us know how God works it all out. You may look at these troubles as a bad thing, but try looking at them as an adventure that you are on with God. How exciting it is to know He is in control and that He has promised to provide ALL your NEEDS. DH and I had a rough year financially...or we thought it was going to be. We left it all in God's very capable hands and He has been faithful in it all! We have been amazed watching how He chose to provide for each need and we will continue to stand in awe as He continues to provide. You see, my DS starts Kindergarten in the fall. Both he and DD will be in a Christian school, so this means double the tuition this year. I don't have a clue how we will pay it each month, but we believe God wants them there and therefore He will provide in His way and in His time. While it is a bit scary, it is exciting to watch God work. My best to you {{{{HUGS}}}} and prayers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prayer of Jabez
from I Chronicles 4:10

Oh, that You would bless me indeed,
and enlarge my territory
That Your hand would be with me
and that You would keep me from evil,
that I may not cause pain.


If you haven't read "The Prayer of Jabez" by Bruce Wilkenson, I encourage to do so. It is small book that packs a big punch!

[Dan Murphy]

We often crave to know every detail of every moment of the rest of
our lives, but we don't need them. We couldn't handle them,
really. We are given all the information we need as the moments
tick by. The Holy Spirit knows far better than what we need to
know, and when. And we'll always find it out when the time is
right.

When we grow in our acceptance of this principle, our lives will
grow simpler. Our task is to turn to the Holy Spirit, not the ego,
for direction. Our minds contain them both, of course.
Recognizing their separate voices comes with practice and the
willingness to be peaceful rather than "right."

Our lives don't become less exciting when we let the Holy Spirit be
in charge. In fact, some might say that going along for the ride,
rather than steering the car, offers us unexpected adventure and
surprise.

Letting someone else decide the route leaves me free to enjoy the
many stops on the way.


---Timeless Wisdom by Karen Casey

[helenabear]

Denise, you are so very right... never give up on God. I will keep you and Charles in my prayers. Stamper, I pray that you too will find the means to keep your DS & DD in private schooling. It is amazing to watch God at work. {{HUGS}} for you both!!

Never Let Go

I want to let go, but I won't let go,
There are battles to fight,
By day and by night,
By the galant and right,
And I'll never let go.

I want to let go, but I won't let go,
I'm sick tis true,
Worried and blue,
Worn through and through,
But I wont let go.

I want to let go, but I won't let go,
I will never yield,
What, lie down on the field,
And surrender my shield?
NO! I'll NEVER let go.

I want to let go, but I won't let go,
May this be my song
'Mid legions of wrong,
O, God, Keep me strong;
That I may never let go.

Written By: Unknown

[Buckalew]

Stamper,
We have had a rough year financially also. AND we have a DD in Christian school. Only one child but I will say a prayer for you dealing with double tuition. I had a friend say to me today,"Maybe you should rethink sending hunter to a Christian school so you wouldn't have tuition." After paying the regular bills that allow us to live, sending her to that school is top priority. I kid about buying things and the fact that they have to pass my Disney test (do I want to buy this or have $$ for WDW trip) but in reality, school is my priority.

The decision to do private school came easy at first but then as it drew closer I worried about having the $$. God spoke to me about this in a way I'll never forget. One of the greatest moments in my life. No loud voices (sorry to disappoint some folks LOL) but nevertheless He was loud and clear. I will keep it short & to the point and let you know that He led me to the story of the loaves and fishes. He let me know that if I would give Him what little I have that He would make sure it was enough and our needs would be met. She will start 3rd grade next year. I know He will help us find a way. :)

Then a friend at school told me that it was easy to have faith that God would provide if the $$ was in the bank at the time the check needed to be written but much harder to have that faith if the $ was not there. That spoke volumes to me as I wanted the $$ to be there so I could then easily say, "Yes, we'll do Christian school." Once I read a book titled something like this: You can't walk on water if you won't get out of the boat. That is usually me. Afraid to get out of the boat. Afraid to actually exercise my faith. I'm learning the hard way :) and God is providing our needs and I will continue to look to Him.

Love this thread. It is always an upper for me. :)
Tiggerlover91, hold tight to God. He is with you when no one else is. I'm praying for you. {{{hugs}}}

[Tiggerlover91]

These last few posts have been outstanding.....thank you all!! I appreciate being kept in your prayers. Buckalew and Stamper...I REALLY enjoyed your posts! :)

FAITH IS LIVING WITH AN INVISIBLE MEANS OF SUPPORT

[stamper]

Buck, thanks for that post. It is always nice to know "you're not the only one"! I know what you mean about school being the top prority...if it wasn't for tuition there are lots of "things" we could have, but we choose instead to have children who are educated in an environment that includes God rather than exclude Him...and it is worth every penny!! Even when the pennies are hard to find!:D I sure am glad God knows exactly where to find them and how to get them into my piggy bank!


Faith makes things possible, not easy!

[EROS]

As history has progressed, the role of Gods has decreased as understanding has replaced supernatural explanations for natural events. If there is no God, then one would think it likely that in our stage of development, the hypothetical God would only be responsible for those things which we do not currently understand. In other words, the remaining God or Gods in our modern society will only be necessary for the "possibly" supernatural parts of existence. However because 500 years ago Gods were necessary to explain the perfection of the heavens, where as now we know it's to do with the 4 forces of nature and the 3 families of matter. I see this trend continuing, as it has for thousands of years now, until understanding will eventually replace all of the hypothetical God's reasons for existence.

[Buckalew]

Eros, I love how you just show up in the most unusual places!:rolleyes:

I can't debate faith in God with you. But the God I believe in IS the creator of nature that you speak of. I believe, you don't. God loves us just the same. :) (Even though you don't believe that.) BTW, do you do this to your God loving wife?

[helenabear]

Sometimes I think we lose sight of what is important in life...

Life is Too Precious

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

---Mother Theresa

[Dan Murphy]

Life IS precious, Elaine.

The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination.
—Carl Rogers

Not only the good life, but all life, is a process. If we get a clear enough picture, we can see that nothing happens all at once, nothing totally "isn't" and then totally "is." That part of us that generates pain and fear came into being over time. We didn't get fearful all at once, but bit by bit, experience by experience. Part of us learned to expect the worst, to cringe in hiding, to settle for crumbs.

Developing a healthy, comfortable way of life is likewise a process. The part of us that expects improvement, that dares to stand tall and demand our rights, also builds up bit by bit over time. That's why it's so important to celebrate every success, no matter how small. The direction is right this time. We have every reason to expect health and happiness. As long as we're moving ahead, we're getting there.

I accept the fact that life is a journey. I've given up the delusion that an "arrival" is necessary for happiness.



--Days of Healing Days of Joy

[Dan Murphy]

Brenda and Stamper, I know too how you feel about the Christian education. We sent Vince and Natalie to parochial school, 9 years of grade and four years of high school. Though there were times we would have enjoyed spending the money elsewhere, we felt it worthwhile to have the presence of God brought into their daily learning. The whole person was first and foremost as a theme of their education. My best to you both to 'stay the course'.

[Buckalew]

Thanks, Dan. I have caught more flack for sending Hunter to Christian school (mostly by Christians) than any other decision I have ever made. Of course, I'm really learning to speak up for my beliefs about it quite nicely now. I can't imagine why some people feel the need to cbe critical of this decision.

[EROS]

Of course, IF there really is a GOD, then certainly his/her presence in a child's education can be quite beneficial. However, Christian values can also become an indoctrination as well.

My first g.f. in Boston was from a strongly Irish Catholic family; her dad was a homicide detective in the Boston Police Dept (he kept me on the straight and narrow:) ). Anyway, Arlene was educated through parochial schools and was then accepted into Boston College, a Jesuit institution. While there, she began to question the precepts which had been drilled into her from k-12; specifically, the way in which the Church viewed women, sexuality, and abortion. Before I met her, she ended up abandoning Catholicism as she entered into graduate school.

I rented a ski house in Vermont for a number of years with some other doctors. It was near a monastery which had folk masses each day. I'd attend Mass on Sunday with my friends, primarily as a celebration of life. However, Arlene could not even bring herself to enter the chapel with us:( .

[Buckalew]

That is a sad story Eros. Maybe Arlene found her way back to God.

[Hemi-mom]

All in due time...

How often, Lord, I've wanted life
to be as I preferred,
impatient to reach all my goals,
insisting I be heard.
How many times I questioned You,
embarking on a feat,
unwilling to be passenger,
but in the driver's seat.
How seldom I was patient
as I begged that life be calm,
not believing all along
that I was in Your palm.
How fast possessions slip away,
though often I would cling
to things thought safe instead of trusting
what Your will would bring.
Be with me, Lord, as I search for
another hill to climb.
I know rewards will come to me,
all in the Lord's due time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In His time
In His time
He makes all things beautiful in His time

Lord Please show me everyday
As You're teaching me Your way
That You do just what You say
In Your time

In Your time
In Your time
You make all things beautiful in Your time

Lord, my life to You I bring
May each song I have to sing
Be to You a lovely thing
In Your time

[helenabear]

Beautiful thoughts there Jilly! Thank you so much :)

[stamper]

Thanks Dan for your encouragement!

Brenda, sorry to hear that people give you flack about your choice in schools - hang in there, you are doing the right thing for you and DD!

[helenabear]

I just wanted to let you all know (especially Denise, Brenda & Stamper) that you are in my prayers. Brenda & Stamper, don't let anything get in the way of the decision to have your children go to Christian schools. I think it is wonderful to be able to do that and I wish you both the best. Denise, know I think of you often and pray that you will find the means to get on top of everything financially.

I recently have felt very blessed for my friends here and elsewhere so when I saw this I just had to share it will you all:

Thank You Friend

I never came to you, my friend,
and went away without
some new enrichment of the heart;
More faith and less of doubt,
more courage in the days ahead.
And often in great need coming to you,
I went away comforted indeed.
How can I find the shining word,
the glowing phrase that tells all that
your love has meant to me,
all that your friendship spells?
There is no word, no phrase for
you on whom I so depend.
All I can say to you is this,
God bless you precious friend.
-Grace Noll Crowell

[stamper]

Elaine, Thanks so much for your kind words and especially your prayers! I think we are all blessed to have great friends like the ones here on the DIS!

[Dan Murphy]

All things work together for good to them that love God.
—Romans 8:28

Sometimes it's very hard to believe that God knows what He's doing. We are told to stop trying to control everything, so we do. We "Let Go," we "Turn It Over." We pry our grip off people, places, and things. As much as we want to hang on, we force ourselves to let God run the show. Then we wait and watch for the good things to start happening.

Most of the time events continue to unfold as unevenly as they always did. Accidents happen while setbacks, injustices, and evil get rewarded, and good goes begging. We feel that our letting go is mocked, that God isn't doing a better job than we did. Why isn't He performing?

But God can write straight with crooked lines. God's timetable may well not be the same as ours. What is asked is that we learn to believe without seeing and to trust when it seems we could do so much better.

Today, I pray for the faith to go the distance. Like a child leaping into a parent's arms, I know that l am too precious to drop.



---Days of Healing Days of Joy

[Dan Murphy]

We all travel a journey of letting go and moving on to different
people, places, and things. The older we get, the more we realize
we can't always expect life to go our way or to keep on going the
same way without change. Facing disappointments and accepting
the reality of what we don't get is part of life. It isn't easy to grieve
and accept our "necessary losses."

When we look back over our years we can begin to see a tapestry
that makes more sense now than it did when we were going
through it. Yes, there is a meaningful and lovely pattern to the big
picture. This knowledge of an overall rightness of our direction
helps us face the coming years more wisely. We now find that we
are surviving life pretty well in spite of ourselves and are starting
to relax enough to let in some joy. We are beginning to see
tomorrow more as an advantage than a trial.

Today, let me understand the freedom I will get as I accept the
concept of necessary losses.

---Seasons of the Spirit by Sally Coleman and Maria Porter

[helenabear]

Great thoughts Dan... I particularly liked this...
Originally posted by Dan Murphy
We now find that we are surviving life pretty well in spite of ourselves and are starting
to relax enough to let in some joy. We are beginning to see tomorrow more as an advantage than a trial.

[Dan Murphy]

Before the rain stops we hear a bird. Even under the heavy snow
we see snowdrops and some new growth.
--Shunryu Suzuki

The signals that new growth is underway are often very small at first.
It's sometimes discouraging when we are trying to remake our lives
and all we can see for our efforts is minor growth. That is how the
natural world works, and we are part of this world. When the little
sprouts of growth first develop under the snow in spring, we don't even
see them unless we search. Yet, they signal the beginnings of a total
transformation. Time will bring vast changes, but only little signs are
showing first.

Today, we may search for signs of progress in our lives. The little
things we see may signal bigger transformations yet to come. To be
true to them in the long run we must accept them -- even welcome
them -- as they are today.

----Touchstones by Anonymous

[Buckalew]

Thanks for all these psots and words of encouragement. :)
Special thanks to Helenabear for her prayers and words of support to me. I'm still doing as Dan posted above(Letting go and letting God) and I don't have an update to let you know about on that prayer request but I wanted to say thanks to each of you. :)

[helenabear]

Brenda, I certainly hope you are able to come to a resolution soon with what ever you are struggling with. Letting go and letting God is hard at time (at least for me) but it usually works out for the best. Know that you are still in my thoughts and prayers and I do hope for the best for you! {{HUGS}} to you!!

And thank you Dan for the beautiful thought today... I liked it very much so!

[helenabear]

Love the moment and the energy of the moment will spread beyond all boundaries.
— Corita Kent

When we quiet our mind, bypassing our thoughts about the hour or day before, or our fear over what may come tomorrow, we can more easily relish each moment—this moment. We too often succumb to the seduction of worrying about the past and future, which are beyond our control. Our unwillingness to give up this obsessive thinking keeps the joy and serenity we long for out of reach. We forget that the power lies within us to clear our mind and to fully experience the peace of the moment.

Quieting our mind requires commitment and practice. We can circumvent any thoughts and experience moments of peace—a peace that will become as seductive as our old obsession to worry.

I will choose to give up worry today and enjoy many peace-filled moments instead.



From the book, In God's Care

[helenabear]

Freedom is like taking a bath -- you have to keep doing it every day!
--Flo Kennedy

Nothing stands still. Change is the law of life. We may sometimes feel
that our personal gains have to be won over and over and over again.
But looked at from another perspective, that's not so: our solid personal
gains are the ones that no one and nothing can take away from us.

They are tools for continued growth. Jobs, lovers, houses may change,
but serenity and freedom of spirit are within our power to achieve --
to maintain -- or to give away.

Freedom means choice: our choice of what we do with our bodies,
our money, our lives. If we decline to choose, the choice will be made for
us. If we don't use or claim our freedom, we are giving it away. Our
lives need our active, creative participation every moment.

Like bathing, I must daily exercise my freedom. No one can do it for me.


--- The Promise of a New Day by Karen Casey and Martha Vanceburg

[Dan Murphy]

Like bathing, I must daily exercise my freedom. No one can do it for me.

Elaine, so true indeed.


In thy face I see the map of honor, truth, and loyalty.
—William Shakespeare

People choose their mates for many reasons—the irresistible twinkle in a young man's eye, the graceful curve of a woman's ankle, escape from home, to have a home, financial support, convenience—you name it. But to stay alive, a relationship has to have something else, something more basic going for it. It has to have trust.

Bedrock trust means that we know the other person is in our corner, reliably there for us no matter what. It means that in significant ways, they are "present" to us. If they are not, no matter how much we think we need them or how desperately we want the relationship to work, no trust equals no satisfaction.

Until the other proves trustworthy (beyond promises and good intentions) something in us holds back. Some aspects of the relationship may well be terrific, but the lasting test is always, "Can I trust them?"

--Days of Healing Days of Joy

[helenabear]

What is strength without a double share of wisdom? Vast, unwieldy, burdensome, proudly secure, yet liable to fall.
—John Milton

What do we mean when we say someone is strong? That they have big muscles? Can endure anything without getting tired, let alone giving up? Do strong people never bend? Never break?

Some of us are afraid to show weakness of any kind. We take our supposed strength as the central fact of our lives. Over time, we may even come to think of ourselves as indestructible. We imagine that everything—people, places, and things—can be pounded into place if we come on with enough force. One man at a meeting shared that he had been confined to a hospital bed after a serious heart attack. Since he had been forbidden exertion of any kind, he said he made himself get out of bed, walk across the room, and pick up a scrap of paper from the floor. Just to prove that he could, he said.

Many of us are more like this man than we care to admit. May we, like him, become willing to accept our strength as our weakness, if that is the case.

Today, let me accept my very real and human limitations.

--- Days of Healing Days of Joy

[EROS]

"Freethinkers are convinced that religious claims have not withstood the tests of reason. Not only is there nothing to be gained by believing an untruth, but there is everything to lose when we sacrifice the indispensable tool of reason on the altar of superstition. Church teachings are sexist, judgmental, arrogant, inconsistent, filled with authoritative explanation rather than rational explanation and are therefore not conducive to learning a good life philosophy."

[Dan Murphy]

So true, Elaine, some do attempt to show strength, when in fact, they are so very weak.We imagine that everything—people, places, and things—can be pounded into place if we come on with enough force.
So very true.


Every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our spirituality doesn't reveal itself only when we pray, meditate, or go to church. The implications of spirituality are much wider and deeper than that. Nearly everything we do is a reflection of the presence or absence of a spiritual dimension in our lives.

"How much is enough?" is a primary spiritual question. If we are not enough, all the food, drugs, or material goods in the world can never be enough. A sense of worthiness is a sign of the spirit. "Where is my security based?" is another primary spiritual question. If my security is based on status or the approval of the crowd, this is also a statement about my spirituality. We act out our spirituality when we smile and pat people on the back or gossip and tell racist jokes.

Our spirituality defines us. We don't need to tell anyone how spiritual we are — if they're hanging around us, they already know.

[EROS]

"Freethinkers realize that there are thousands of differing religious belief structures which are more or less mutually exclusive and for the uncritical mind equally believable. Some of these belief structures do not involve deities. The major point being which one? And if one, why one? Why any, isn't it just as likely that all of them have it wrong? Much of the work of religion seems to be based on guesswork or pure creativity. The age of the Earth, the age of **** sapiens, history as it happened over the thousands of years seem to differ from religion to religion and, most importantly, differ from the objective findings of archeologists, geologists, biologists etc."

[helenabear]

I just had to add my own personal thoughts right now, so please excuse me while I go rambling on for a short while.

Something this morning made me really upset, to the point where I was in an almost rage and near tears. I began to calm down only when I looked at my two cats sitting on the love seat looking out the window. They reminded me of something very important… some things in life are too precious to worry about. The things in my life I love are too important to me to sit and dwell on the insignificants in life. All who love me do so because they love me for ME… the good and the bad. Those who love me and whom I love back are my support, my comfort and my everything. They are the ones who get my through my toughest and are there to share in the joys of life.

Love guides me. I think and feel with all my heart. My tag even says that, although it is in Spanish, “with all my heart” is the way I live my life. I do not just wander aimlessly through life and take anything said or placed in front of me as golden. I listen to my heart, feel what is right for me and follow it. My heart doesn’t lead me astray as it is guided by love… love from so many different sources both visible and invisible to me. Only my mind leads me astray. So as I sit here and think of all who are struggling with anything in their lives, I say let go and follow your heart, it will lead you in the right direction.

[Buckalew]

Helenabear,
You shared for a reason. Thanks so much. :)

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks for those nice thoughts there, Elaine. :)

It is an old and ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way.

— Rollo May

Our boundaries are both inside and outside ourselves. No one can set them for us; we can only set them. Boundaries are often unfamiliar. We may wonder, What are they? How do we use them? Many of us come from families where, as children, our boundaries were disregarded, creating a pattern we continue to act on as adults.

Starting to set boundaries for ourselves takes time and practice. Because the experience is unfamiliar, we may often find ourselves veering between two extremes —holding back for fear of blurring our boundaries or acting as if we have no boundaries at all. But our willingness to set boundaries and stick with them brings us a clearer sense of who we are. We begin to learn where we start and end. We start to learn the same about other people. With boundaries comes a new sense of self-respect because they are our affirmation to ourselves that we are not objects to be trampled on or used, but we are human beings with dignity.

---Answers In The Heart

[Dan Murphy]

I spent twenty years before someone told me I could cut my losses.
—Michael K.

If we were thinking about spending a huge amount of money on a big house, you can bet we'd check first to see if the roof leaked or the basement flooded. We tend to be very careful about making major investments—and with good reason. Most of us just can't afford to make a big mistake. Why, then, do so many of us jump so carelessly into relationships?

Before committing ourselves to a large emotional investment, we can examine the total "package." We have every right to look very closely at a prospective relationship, to check it out, and to make a clear-eyed determination. Is the big draw that they "need" us? Beware. Is the person free, in fact, to be part of a relationship? Can the person function as a responsible adult? Is the person as committed to personal growth as we are?

If the relationship is healthy and growth-oriented, we need hesitate no longer. We can enter it knowing our optimism comes from positive, not negative, motives.

---Days of Healing Days of Joy

[helenabear]

Brenda and Dan, I am glad you enjoyed my rambles :)

Also Dan, I very much like the words you found for yesterday/today.

I'm in a sentimental mood, but I hope everyone will remember to always hold dear to your heart those you love.

There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer;
no disease that enough love will not heal;
no door that enough love will not open;
no gulf that enough love will not bridge;
no wall that enough love will not throw down;
no sin that enough love will not redeem...
It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble;
how hopeless the outlook; how muddled the tangle; how great the mistake.
A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all.
If only you could love enough you would be
the happiest and most powerful being in the world...
~Emmet Fox

[Dan Murphy]

Integrity

Anything that stands in the way of your integrity will eventually bring you down. If you feel that something isn't right, there's a reason for that feeling -- it's because it isn't right.
When you act against what you know to be true, what you know to be right, there is nothing of value to be gained. When you act against your own integrity, you are pushing yourself backwards.

If you seek to cheat others, you end up cheating yourself. Nothing that you take away from someone else can ever be of any lasting value to you. True value and richness come from authentically being yourself and giving of yourself. The more you give of your love, your effort, your time, attention, and creativity, the more real and fulfilling abundance you'll experience.

Withholding yourself from life only holds you back from really living. It's truly great to be who you are, so do it with zest and integrity. Why fight and argue over momentary pleasures when you can be moving toward lasting fulfillment? Choose not what is easiest or most expedient. Choose what is true, what is right, and you'll be making the best choice for your life.

-- Ralph Marston

[Dan Murphy]

Problems are opportunities for growth. They let us
experience the wisdom of other people when we ask
for help. They assure us a better connection to our
Higher Power if we want it. And they give us
chances to practice inner silence and find the place
where all answers ultimately reside. Going within
offers us profound calm, the love and the secure
comfort of our Higher Power. Until we have
sampled that gift, we can't fathom what we have
missed in life. Acknowledging the presence of God
changes every situation we encounter. It changes
every detail of every day.

Let's not fear problems. Instead, let's see them as
mere reminders that we have forgotten to remember
the presence of our Higher Power. Taking a few
moments to travel within will bring us clarity and
comfort. Peace will come along with the problem's
resolution.

---A Life of My Own by Karen Casey

[EROS]

The History of the Universe in 200 Words or Less

"Quantum fluctuation. Inflation. Expansion. Strong nuclear interaction. Particle-antiparticle annihilation. Deuterium and helium production. Density perturbations. Recombination. Blackbody radiation. Local contraction. Cluster formation. Reionization? Violent relaxation. Virialization. Biased galaxy formation? Turbulent fragmentation. Contraction. Ionization. Compression. Opaque hydrogen. Massive star formation. Deuterium ignition. Hydrogen fusion. Hydrogen depletion. Core contraction. Envelope expansion. Helium fusion. Carbon, oxygen, and silicon fusion. Iron production. Implosion. Supernova explosion. Metals injection. Star formation. Supernova explosions. Star formation. Condensation. Planetesimal accretion. Planetary differentiation. Crust solidification. Volatile gas expulsion. Water condensation. Water dissociation. Ozone production. Ultraviolet absorption. Photosynthetic unicellular organisms. Oxidation. Mutation. Natural selection and evolution. Respiration. Cell differentiation. Sexual reproduction. Fossilization. Land exploration. Dinosaur extinction. Mammal expansion. Glaciation. **** sapiens manifestation. Animal domestication. Food surplus production. Civilization! Innovation. Exploration. Religion. Warring nations. Empire creation and destruction. Exploration. Colonization. Taxation without representation. Revolution. Constitution. Election. Expansion. Industrialization. Rebellion. Emancipation Proclamation. Invention. Mass production. Urbanization. Immigration. World conflagration. League of Nations. Suffrage extension. Depression. World conflagration. Fission explosions. United Nations. Space exploration. Assassinations. Lunar excursions. Resignation. Computerization. World Trade Organization. Terrorism. Internet expansion. Reunification. Dissolution. World-Wide Web creation. Composition. Extrapolation?"
:) :) :) :)

[helenabear]

The person who is bored in the modern world shows that he is in no full sense a member of it.
— Brand Blanshard

Enthusiasm doesn't just happen to us. It's an attitude that is either fostered or hindered by our decisions about what we'll bring to our experiences—from the most mundane to the momentous. This is true either throughout the day at hand or throughout our life. Deciding to be enthusiastic for a project comes easily when we've made up our mind to simply enjoy being alive.

Gratitude for the many blessings that recovery has brought even further heightens our enthusiasm for living. We all know people who are bored with their jobs, who withdraw from social involvement. Most of these people have lost touch with their fundamental sense of gratitude for what life has given them.

The power to enjoy life fully, to bring enthusiasm to whatever we do, is within our grasp. In fact, it's within our own mind.

I'll be as enthusiastic as I am grateful today.

--- In God's Care

[Dan Murphy]

Enthusiasm, Elaine, especially for good, is so contagious. Nice. :sunny:



Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.


--Roosevelt, Eleanor

[helenabear]

Originally posted by Dan Murphy
Enthusiasm, Elaine, especially for good, is so contagious. Nice. :sunny:

I've noticed that to be very true :)

Very nice thought for the day Dan... I really like that one a lot!

[EROS]

A Christian evangelist driving down a Virginia turnpike is pulled over for speeding. The trooper smells alcohol in the vehicle and sees an empty wine bottle on the floor.

The officer asks the cleric: "Have you been drinking, sir?"

"Only water, officer," the minister says.

"Then why do I distinctly smell wine in your car?

The minister looks at the bottle and says, "Good Lord! He's done it again!"

:)

[helenabear]

Yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision, but today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
--- unknown

[Hemi-mom]

Breathe Deep, by The Lost Dogs

"Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God. Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God."

Politicians, morticians, Philistines, homophobes
Skinheads, Dead heads, tax evaders, street kids
Alcoholics, workaholics, wise guys, dim wits
Blue collar, white collars, war mongers, peace nicks...

"Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God. Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God."

Suicidals, rock idols, shut-ins, drop-outs
Friendless, homeless, penniless and depressed
Presidents, residents, foreigners and aliens
Dissidents, feminists, xenophobes and chauvinists...

"Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God. Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God."

Evolutionists, creationists, perverts, slum lords
Dead-beats, athletes, Protestants and Catholics
Housewives, neophytes, pro-choice, pro-life
Misogynists, monogamists, philanthropists, blacks and whites...

"Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God. Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God."

Police, obese, lawyers, and government
Sex offenders, tax collectors, war vets, rejects
Atheists, Scientists, racists, sadists
Photographers, biographers, artists, pornographers...

"Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God. Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God."

Gays and lesbians, demagogues and thespians
The disabled, preachers, doctors and teachers
Meat eaters, wife beaters, judges and juries
Long hair, no hair, EVERYBODY, EVERYWHERE...

"Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God. Breathe deep, Breathe deep the breath of God."

[helenabear]

Great lyrics there Jilly... thanks so much for them :D

[Dan Murphy]

You do post some great ones, Jilly, both here and on the one that was moved to the IB. Very nice. I do enjoy them.



Here's a great way to quickly change your attitude about anything and to put yourself in a positive frame of mind. Wherever you are, whatever has happened, in every situation, consider yourself truly blessed.
If there's something which must be done, that you'd really rather avoid, consider that you're truly blessed to be doing it. That simple change in thinking can put an amazing positive spin on the experience.

If there's a troublesome situation confronting you, consider yourself truly blessed to be able to face it. It will help you to fashion your most positive, effective and resourceful response.

Sure, it's difficult to think of yourself as truly blessed when you're in the middle of something unpleasant, frightening or frustrating. Difficult as it may be, though, it sure beats the alternative of giving in to despair and negativity.

It may not make sense at first to your logical mind, yet in some very positive and empowering way your spirit will understand. Indeed, you are truly blessed, and it can be a powerful positive boost to remind yourself of that fact. Just do it and see for yourself what a difference it can make.

-- Ralph Marston

[helenabear]

Wonderful words there Dan... thank you so much for sharing those with us! :)

[helenabear]

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously
for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided
the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just
wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to
come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt
into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried
horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads
later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he
saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing
something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's
neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it
off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey
stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting
out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles
is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not
stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

Remember these six simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
6. Put God first...

Life's too short and precious!! Enjoy your day and the rest of your week & shake it off!

[EROS]

"Indeed, Mr. Jefferson, what could be invented to debase the ancient Christianism which Greeks, Romans, Hebrews and Christian factions, above all the Catholics, have not fraudulently imposed upon the public? Miracles after miracles have rolled down in torrents."

-- John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson, December 3, 1813,

[helenabear]

Low humming sounds and sun-baked hazy days lull
us into the slowed pace of summertimes. When we
were growing up nothing was more magic than
summertime. The hot-sweet-smelling days seemed
to stretch on forever then. Summer was play itself, a
seemingly endless string of months to work off
energy and dream about the possibilities of
everything and anything. Long daylight hours gave
us a world that seemed boundless in its capacity to
soothe and delight.

Children know best how to settle down into the
heart of summer, to let go in deep down ways, to
simply "be" and enjoy.

How long has it been since we sat down with
summer and let her envelop us with smells, sounds,
and memories? Just sitting still outside on a
summer night, getting reacquainted with the season,
can make us feel like kids again.

Today, let me make the time to relax into a summer
day in the way of childhood.

--- Seasons of the Spirit

[Dan Murphy]

Perhaps we're too embarrassed to change or too frightened of the
consequences of showing that we actually care. But why not risk it anyway?
BEGIN TODAY! Carry out an act of kindness, with no expectation
of reward or punishment. Safe in the knowledge that one day,
someone somewhere might do the same for you.


--Princess Diana

[Dan Murphy]

Awaken to the ordinary beauty.

Our lives are filled with demands, responsibilities, expectations, places
to go, people to see, things to do. We may get so caught up in the next
task that we miss the golden moment happening right now. No matter
where we are or what we are doing, if we stop to breathe slowly and
notice our surroundings, we will find something to appreciate. We may
see a glint of light reflecting off a pane of glass, the look in a friend's
eyes, or a small thoughtful thing that our partner does.

Spiritual development is nourished by our senses. The sights, sounds,
tastes, touch, and scents in our immediate surroundings are the
doorway to awe and mystery. When we awaken to the ordinary beauty
in our everyday lives, warm and loving parts of ourselves grow and
extend out to those we love.

Quiet yourself for a moment, slowly breathe in and out, focus on
something you appreciate, something wholesome.

---The More We Find in Each Other by Mavis Fossum and Merle Fossum

[EROS]

"The separation of church and state is extremely important to any of us who holds to the original traditions of our nation. To change these traditions by changing our traditional attitude toward public education would be harmful to our whole attitude of tolerance in the religious area. If we look at situations which have arisen in the past in Europe and other world areas, I think we will see the reasons why it is wise to hold to our early traditions."

-- Eleanor Roosevelt, New York World-Telegram, June 23, 1949

[helenabear]

If you could change anything in the world, what would it be? If you could truly make a difference in the lives of those around you, how would you do it?
If you suddenly realized that today was like no other, with each moment a special, priceless and irreplaceable treasure, how would you spend it? If the world was depending on you to move it forward, what would your first step be?

If you could clearly see tomorrow, how would it look? If you could create tomorrow just the way you wanted, what would it be like? If you could tell others exactly what you thought, what would you say? If you knew you could not fail, what would you attempt?

The truth is, you can do all these things and more. Every moment is your opportunity, every situation is your starting point. Think of the very best you would do if you could. Then make it happen, because you can.

-- Ralph Marston

[EROS]

If you want to save your child from polio, you can pray or you can inoculate.

-- Carl Sagan

[helenabear]

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

--- Martin Luther King Jr.

[EROS]

"Prayers and sacrifices are of no avail".


-- Aristotle

[Dan Murphy]

Harsh words break no bones
but they do break hearts.

or

If anyone speaks badly of you,
live so none will believe it.

or

God always gives His best to those
who leave the choice with Him.

or

Dreams DO Come True

Choose a wish, find a dream
Or pick a wishing star
Let your hopes and spirits soar
Fly high and free and far.

Reach for the unreachable
Stretch clear up to the sky
Always know
That any dream you treasure
Is never too far away
or too high.

Believe in the impossible
Then work for it
And keep trying
And do!
For only those
who dare to dream
Can make that dream
Come true!

--Meadow Birdsong

[helenabear]

Wonderful words there... thank you so much Dan! :)

[EROS]

"A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."

Albert Einstein

[helenabear]

Heather, very wonderful, powerful and beautiful words you chose there. I thank you for posting them!



Negativity is a dark hole full of nothing, You don't need it, You do not benefit from it, Not only is it painful, it is useless. So whenever you sense it coming on, let it go. Let it dissolve away into oblivion Just simply forget it. You have better things to do with your time and energy.

Decide to be joyful and positive no matter what. It's time to be the best you can be. Don't wallow in the darkness. Be happy.

Be genuinely joyful. You can do it!!
--- Unknown

[EROS]

"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires".

Susan B. Anthony
-- in 1896, addressing the National American Woman Suffrage Association meeting
http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/qpix/anthonysb.jpg

[helenabear]

One of the most valuable things you can have is the ability and the desire to truly understand others. That's because we live in a world where no two people have exactly the same perspective. We are all unique individuals. That fact can lead to extreme frustration or it can lead to magnificent achievement, depending on your level of understanding.
Have you ever wasted a lot of time and energy being angry and resentful, only to eventually discover that it was all due to a misunderstanding? Has anyone ever been angry with you simply because they did not understand what you were doing or why you were doing it?

It takes effort and humility to practice true and genuine understanding. Often, it can seem easier to just get angry and lash out, yet that rarely accomplishes anything of value.

Imagine how much more value you could create and enjoy if you made the effort to better understand the people around you. Imagine what would happen if some of your anger and frustration could be replaced by cooperation and effectiveness.

Every day there are opportunities for you to become more understanding and to help others better understand you. Make use of those opportunities, seek to promote understanding. Your life and your world will benefit greatly.

-- Ralph Marston

[EROS]

Katharine Hepburn (b. 1909)
American Actress noted for her unique combination of patrician beauty and spunky earthiness

"I'm an atheist, and that's it. I believe there's nothing we can know except that we should be kind to each other and do what we can for other people."



http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/qpix/hepburnk2.jpg

[Buckalew]

These are all such good thoughts, Helenabear, Chip and Hemi, and Dan. Thanks for each one you all posted.

[EROS]

Aristophanes (ca. 448-380 B.C.E.)
Athenian poet

Shrines! Shrines! Surely you don't believe in the gods. What's your argument? Where's your proof?


http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/qpix/aristoph.jpg

[helenabear]

Brenda, I am so glad you liked some of what I posted. I have been thinking of you as of lately and hope that all is going well with you. Please know you have been in my thoughts and if you ever need anyone, I'm here, just a PM or an e-mail away. {hugs}

I also see that Dan didn't come for you... if you like I could always call in sick on Friday and we can drive down to WDW and surprise him ;)

[helenabear]

Very nice Heather... thank you so much :)

I just stumbled across this quote and like it very much!

Happiness comes from spiritual wealth, not material wealth... Happiness comes from giving, not getting. If we try hard to bring happiness to others, we cannot stop it from coming to us also. To get joy, we must give it, and to keep joy, we must scatter it
--- John Templeton

[EROS]

"Do you, good people, believe that Adam and Eve were created in the Garden of Eden and that they were forbidden to eat from the tree of knowledge? I do. The church has always been afraid of that tree. It still is afraid of knowledge. Some of you say religion makes people happy. So does laughing gas. So does whiskey. I believe in the brain of man. I'm not worried about my soul."

-- Clarence Darrow

[helenabear]

It is amazing the extent to which some people will go
To portray an inflated version of themselves,
That does little more than give others an accurate view
Of a floundering ego crying for attention.
--- D. S. Neviaser

[Dan Murphy]

Smart man, Elaine, that D. S. Neviaser. :sunny:

[EROS]

OSCAR WILDE (1854-1900)
Irish-born writer

http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/qpix/wilde1.jpg

"Truth, in matters of religion, is simply the opinion that has survived".

[JohnTBap]

Originally posted by helenabear
It is amazing the extent to which some people will go
To portray an inflated version of themselves,
That does little more than give others an accurate view
Of a floundering ego crying for attention.
--- D. S. Neviaser

I like it.


I like it a lot.


:):):)


Hi DAN!

:wave:

[SPAGo 98]

:)

[EROS]

It is amazing the extent to which some people will go
To portray an inflated version of themselves,
That does little more than give others an accurate view
Of a floundering ego crying for attention.

I'M JUST SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HURT:(:(:(:(, BUT I LEARNED LOOOOOOOONG AGO THAT IT COMES WITH THE TERRITORY WHEN ONE SPEAKS THE TRUTH;););)


"Special crises compel men to wage wars, by the cruelest means, against those who seem to question or threaten their unsafe ideological bases."

-- Eric Ericson

[Goofyposter]

"I'm not worried about my soul."
-Clarence Darrow

Groosch...he'd better hope he was right.

Usually when I'm this confident about something.....I'm wrong.

[helenabear]

In our deepest moments of struggle, frustration, fear, and confusion, we are being called upon to reach in and touch our hearts. Then, we will know what to do, what to say, how to be. What is right is always in our deepest heart of hearts. It is from the deepest part of our hearts that we are capable of reaching out and touching another human being. It is, after all, one heart touching another heart.

--- Roberta Sage Hamilton

[EROS]

"Remind yourself that in this night you will face many challenges. But you have to face them and understand it 100 percent.... Obey GOD, his messenger, and don't fight among yourself where you become weak, and stand fast, GOD will stand with those who stood fast".

-- Mohamed Atta
http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/qpix/atta7c.jpg

[helenabear]

It is essential to know that to be a happy person, a happy family, a happy society, it is very crucial to have a good heart, that is very crucial. World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just the absence of violence but the manifestation of human compassion.

--- Dalai Lama

[EROS]

""Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."

Kierkegaard

[helenabear]

Coeur is the French word for "heart." When we act with courage, we act from our hearts, not our heads alone. We boldly do what feels right. We may be scared if we're going against the grain, but we have confidence and faith supporting our actions.

Being courageous does not require going into battle, We do not have to be saving someone's life. It takes a lot of courage just to be honest with ourselves and others, to decide to change behaviors, and to leave destructive relationships.

-- Karen Casanova

[Dan Murphy]

Many nice thoughts Heather, and Elaine. Thanks. And a Happy Day to you also, Heather. :sunny:


Once a wise teacher was speaking to a group of eager young students. He gave them the assignment to go out and find a small, unnoticed flower somewhere. He asked them to study the flower for a long time.

"Get a magnifying glass and study the delicate veins in the leaves, and notice the nuances and shades of color. Turn the leaves slowly and observe their symmetry. And remember that this flower might have gone unnoticed and unappreciated if you had not found and admired it."

After the class returned, the teacher observed, "People are like that. Each one is different, carefully crafted, uniquely endowed. But you have to spend time with them to know this. So many people go unnoticed and unappreciated because no one has ever taken time with them and admired their uniqueness."

- John Powell

[EROS]

""Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

- Martin Luther, Jr. King

[helenabear]

... There is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. That’s why Jesus says, "Love your enemies." Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption. You just keep loving people and keep loving them, even though they’re mistreating you. Here’s the person who is a neighbor, and this person is doing something wrong to you and all of that. Just keep being friendly to that person. Keep loving them. Don’t do anything to embarrass them. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with bitterness because they’re mad because you love them like that. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.

--- Martin Luther King Jr.

[EROS]

Originally posted by helenabear
That’s why Jesus says, "Love your enemies." Because if you hate your enemies, you have no way to redeem and to transform your enemies. But if you love your enemies, you will discover that at the very root of love is the power of redemption. You just keep loving people and keep loving them, even though they’re mistreating you.

I'm sure that there are American Christians who seek to embrace and "love" the suicidal/homicidal maniacs of AL QAEDA:mad: :mad: :mad: .

How does the power of redemption via love of one's enemy square with the Old Testament admonition of, "An eye for an eye"????:confused: :confused:

I'm suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure that the BIG GUY in Heaven has a logical answer:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Dan Murphy]

Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living.
— Abraham Heschel

There are many ways to pray, and each of us has a style that uniquely expresses our spirituality. Once we open ourselves to our Higher Power we can get comfortable with our own way of praying. It may mean leaving past ways behind. Maybe we've been used to prayer that relied only on words. Perhaps we used to pray for what we wanted, making sure we told God precisely what was best for us and everybody else. Or maybe we didn't pray at all because we didn't know how to or were afraid.

We need not worry about how to pray; our Higher Power shows us how. We must, however, be willing to move from the everyday world to a place where it is just our Higher Power and us. It is an exciting part of our spiritual journey to develop new ways to pray, trusting our relationship with our Higher Power to deepen the experience. What matters is that we give ourselves to it. When our prayer is from the heart, we know it and are at peace.

[EROS]

"Imagine the people who believe such things and who are not ashamed to ignore, totally, all the patient findings of thinking minds through all the centures since the Bible was written. And it is these ignorant people, the most uneducated, the most unimaginative, the most unthinking among us, who would make themselves the guides and leaders of us all; who would force their feeble and childish beliefs on us; who would invade our schools and libraries and homes. I personally resent it bitterly."

Isaac Asimov

[Catzeyes]

To them that ask, where have you seen the Gods, or how do you know for certain there are Gods, that you are so devout in their worship? I answer: Neither have I ever seen my own soul, and yet I respect and honor it."
--- Marcus Aurelius ---

[EROS]

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality".

George Bernard Shaw

[helenabear]

No heart is so carved in stone it is forever inflexible,
So lost in darkness it is incapable of seeing light,
Or so damaged it will never again flourish.
But a heart cannot change or improve independent of the mind.
One must be consciously open to new and different
Perspectives, ideas and approaches,
And be willing to accept them as worthwhile.
One must believe in, and accept,
Personal change as a genuine and viable possibility.
And one must release enough emotional barriers,
With the key of reason and positive reinforcement,
To allow one to embrace and utilize change.

--- D. S. Neviaser

[Dan Murphy]

Better than you found it


Leave each place you go better than you found it. Leave each person you encounter better off for having seen you. Leave each circumstance you experience better as a result of your involvement. Make each day better because of how you've lived it.
Tread lovingly, considerately and gratefully along the path of your life, and you'll find that path leading continually upward as a result. Give of yourself at every opportunity, and those opportunities will become increasingly meaningful.

Every self-centered pursuit will eventually grow tiresome and empty. The more you expand your thoughts, your efforts and your focus beyond yourself, the more fulfilling each moment will be.

Spend time and energy in the service of things bigger than yourself. Not only will you help to lift the world higher, you'll be lifting yourself as well, to places you never could otherwise imagine.

-- Ralph Marston

[ellyn2000]

Thank you so much for sharing that! I really was in need.....

[helenabear]

Thank you Dan... those words were wonderful! I've seen a fair amout by Ralph Marston recently and I do believe this is a wise man. Again thank you Dan!

[Buckalew]

WOW! Dan and Helenabear,
Those were both great!
Thanks for posting.
(Do you all notice that I keep saying the same thing on this thread??!!)

[helenabear]

Just glad to know you appreciate the thread Brenda. Btw, how are things going with you? I have been thinking about you lately and hoping all is well :sunny:

[Buckalew]

Elaine,
Nothing new to report yet. :( I'm still waiting. I had a pretty rough week (keeping my chin up) until yesterday and the sky seemed bluer to me yesterday. :) Thank you for your concern, thoughts and mostly for your prayers. I seem to be having trouble with "letting go and letting God" in this situation(like I can change anything about it myself -- I can't, it is out of my hands.) I will keep you posted. :)

[helenabear]

"Letting go and letting God" is one of those things that is really easier said than done when times are really tough. But I am so glad the the skies seem bluer for you and I hope the sun shines though and makes the skies clear and beautiful for you! I do hope to hear good results though. A {hug} for you Brenda and as always, you know you are in my thoughts and prayers!

[Dan Murphy]

Know well, Brenda, you guys are in my continued prayers. Hoping this week is a good one for you all.


Turning positive

In every life there is plenty of time and energy available for magnificent success and achievement. Yet too often that energy is wasted on unproductive, negative pursuits.
The next time you feel yourself becoming negative, stop and consider what would happen if you applied that negative energy in a positive direction. Imagine what would happen if you simply turned it around, and put it to work for you instead of against you.

A car that is traveling 70 miles per hour toward the north can be easily stopped, turned around and heading 70 miles per hour toward the south. In the same way, you can control your own personal energy to that it moves you toward your goals and dreams rather than away from them.

Instead of bitterly complaining, transform your complaints into useful and productive suggestions. Instead of being envious, transform that envy into positive admiration. Rather than wasting your time with worry, make use of your time with action. Instead of getting destructively angry, become creatively determined.

The energy is already there, ready for you to use. Just imagine what can happen when you make sure it flows in a positive direction.

-- Ralph Marston

[helenabear]

As I said before, Ralph Marston seems to be a very wise man! Thank you Dan for sharing these wonderful thoughts!!

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks, Heather. Nice thoughts.


Quiet confidence


The strongest confidence is quiet confidence. It does not boast and is not arrogant. Quiet confidence pays no attention to those who ridicule it simply because of their own insecurities. Quiet confidence does what is right, no matter what others may think.
Quiet confidence is built from substance, and is not just made for show. It is genuine and as such, it is powerful. Quiet confidence does not seek the easy way out. Quiet confidence finds the true and the right way through whatever situations or obstacles there are. It makes no grand promises. Yet it delivers much value.

Quiet confidence is not overly concerned with appearances. Quiet confidence simply gets things done. You don't always see it, nor do you often think about it. Yet quiet confidence works tirelessly behind the scenes, bringing you many good and valuable things.

Quiet confidence is real, persistent confidence that makes a positive difference every day. Try some yourself, and see how much real and lasting value it can add to your world.

-- Ralph Marston

[Buckalew]

Thank you each for those continued prayers. I have been much better this week. My Sunday School lesson for Sunday is about Joy. I feel that my toes will be stepped upon when I pick up my book to study. After all, I know happiness is fleeting and real joy is from the Lord -- and is in our hearts and stays with us in all situations.

Heather, that was so nice of you. I think I have already said this before but the power that comes from the scripture is incredible to me. I cannot imagine reading the Bible and just seeing words as in any ol' book. They are living words that touch our hearts. What an amazing God we have. :)

[EROS]

"Religion grows with the intelligence of man, but all religions of the past and probably all of the future will sooner or later become petrified forms instead of living helps to mankind. Until that time comes, however, if religion of any name or nature makes man more happy, comfortable, and able to live peaceably with his brothers, it is good."

-- Luther Burbank,

[LucyStorm]

Buckalew,
there are two things that help me in those extreme times of crisis. One is the 23rd psalm-the Lord is my Shepherd, and the other is the Footprints poem.

God bless and keep you Buck. My prayers are with you.

((((hugs))))

[Buckalew]

Thanks Lucy. :)

Eros, your comments were as belittling as you saying belief in God is like belief in Santa Claus.

I can't say what I want to say to you here about your comment...sorry to say, I'd be shushed for sure because free speech only goes so far around here. But my opinion is that I really wish you'd leave this one thread alone. :( Your comments are usually degrading and rude and not a bit uplifting. Why, oh why, can't you just hit the back button and let us who are "so narrow minded and righteous" have a thread to uplift one another is beyond me.

[EROS]

Sorry, BUCK, I didn't know that certain members "OWN" certain threads around here:rolleyes: :rolleyes: . Just call me, MR. NAIVE:) :) .

Anyway, I generally have NOT shared my OWN thoughts on this thread, but HAVE followed the pattern of others in offering simple quotations. The people whom I cite are clearly smarter and nicer than myself;) ;) ;)

[Buckalew]

Of course, you can post where you want. I just said I wish you'd allow us this... feel free. You can have my place...
I don't care for the quotes though. I'm not a quoter myself. Yours, however, do nothing to inspire the posters on this thread. That is sad and I think you know it.

[EROS]

Alien poster here, BUCK:) . Of course, it's all a matter of perspective. I don't find the quotes or thoughts from others here to be "uplifting" either!!!!:) :) ..........

[Dan Murphy]

This moment

This moment is your opportunity to shine. This moment is your chance to live with positive purpose and commitment, to be the absolute best you can be, to fill your life and your world with genuine richness.
If you let yourself get dragged down by the disappointments of the past or worries about the future, then you deny to yourself the irreplaceable value that is in this moment. Learn from those disappointments as well as from your successes, set your sights on building a more positive future, and use what you have in this moment to do so.

This moment is the one moment over which you now have complete control. So live it with all the goodness, focus, courage, love and commitment you can muster. Put all you have into being the best you can be, into living as fully as you can imagine, right now.

The value in this moment is yours to live, so make the most of it while you have it. Hold your head up high. Take a deep breath. Fill your spirit with energy. Then get busy making a real and lasting positive impact on your world with all you have in this moment.

-- Ralph Marston

[EROS]

"The more I study religions, the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself."

-- Sir Richard Burton

[helenabear]

Our Best Selves - Author Unknown

The good you find in others, is in you too.
The faults you find in others, are your faults as well.
After all, to recognize something you must know it.
The possibilities you see in others, are possible for you as well.
The beauty you see around you, is your beauty.
The world around you is a reflection, a mirror showing you the person you are.
To change your world, you must change yourself.
To blame and complain will only make matters worse.
Whatever you care about, is your responsibility.
What you see in others, shows you yourself.
See the best in others, and you will be your best.
Give to others, and you give to yourself.
Appreciate beauty, and you will be beautiful.
Admire creativity, and you will be creative.
Love, and you will be loved.
Seek to understand, and you will be understood.
Listen, and your voice will be heard.
Teach, and you will learn.
Show your best face to the mirror, and you'll be happy with the face looking back at you.

[Buckalew]

LOL, Heather. I happen to adore Cynthia Heald! How ironic was that!!
Do you read her often?

[Dan Murphy]

Reality check

The world is the way it is, today is the way it is, your situation is the way it is. So what are you going to do about it?
Are you going to wish you could go back to the past? Then you'll just end up more frustrated by the reality that time only moves in one direction -- forward. Are you going to wait for someone or something to solve your problems for you? Then you'll just end up further behind at the end of the day.

Are you going to put all your energy into anger and resentment because you've been treated so unfairly? Then the negative things you focus upon will grow even stronger, holding you back more firmly than ever before.

Or perhaps you'll decide to take positive, effective control. Perhaps you'll accept responsibility for the way things are, and begin to move forward.

Perhaps you will realize that it doesn't matter who is at fault or how you got here, but what's important is what you're going to do about it. Perhaps you'll use the moments in this day not to resent or regret or relive the past, but to build, to create, to improve the future.

Here you are in this world, this world that is undeniably the way it is. You can do nothing to change what you've got, yet you can do everything to vastly improve what you get.

-- Ralph Marston

[JC2]

Wow, you guys! All of your words of comfort and exhortation are so encouraging. I so appreciate the fact that you take the time to share these words that touch others, even when you may not realize it!

I hope you all have a good day. :)

[EROS]

"People go to church for the same reasons they go to a tavern: to stupefy themselves, to forget their misery, to imagine themselves, for a few minutes anyway, free and happy".

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Bakunin (1814-1876)

[helenabear]

Jennifer, it is so wonderful to see you here again!!! I do hope you stop by more often and that whatever may have kept you away in the past does not keep you away again.

I hope every one of you is having a wonderful weekend (I know I am) and that all is well with each of you! Spread love and joy and be kind and respectful to all around you... hopefully spreading kind thoughts & feelings will be contageous... if that were true, I am sure the world would be a much kinder place :sunny:

Okay, sorry about being such a sap, but I am both very happy and very sad at the same time and just saying what's in my heart. Wishing you all the very best today!!!

[EROS]

"Why should I fear death? If I am, death is not. If death is, I am not. Why should I fear that which cannot exist when I do?"

Epicurus

[Dan Murphy]

It was great sharing the past two days with you, Elaine. Marie and I both thoroughly enjoyed your visit. Have fun with Hannah tomorrow and Godspeed and a safe trip home.

There's an old saying that the optimist sees a glass as half-full, the pessimist sees it as half-empty. Every day, things happen, good and bad. We all enjoy the good things. But the bad, the negative experiences, the hurt and sorrow - how we react to these show what we're really made of.

Out of misery, we can find serenity and growth-or we can see the glass as "half-empty," and become bitter and resentful. We can learn the lessons life has to teach us-or we can retreat into a shell of self-pity.

--Help for Helpers

[Dan Murphy]

Making a choice

Just imagine what would be possible for you today if only you could exercise positive, focused control over every thought and action. You wouldn't waste any time being angry or spiteful or envious. You'd simply move yourself positively forward. You would actually do all those things you know you need to do, and you would avoid those things you know you'd later regret.
In fact, you do have control over your thoughts and actions. After all, they're your thoughts and they're your actions. So why do they so often lead you toward things that are not in your best interest? It happens whenever you choose short term pleasure and comfort over long term joy and achievement.

Is that really what you want to do, or has it just become a habit? Today would be a great day to break that habit. Today would be a great day to start living in your best interest. Today would be a great day to put your efforts into building a life of purpose, achievement and fulfillment.

The shallow pleasures of the moment never last, so choose to invest your precious time in something more substantial. Every moment you're making a choice, and every moment you have the opportunity to build a life of greatness. You're in control of what you do, so make sure it expresses who you really want to be.

-- Ralph Marston

[helenabear]

Dan it was wonderful sharing those two days with you and Marie as well! I do thank you so very much for doing all you did!


Those things you love most will help you see the places and the ways in which you can make the biggest positive difference. The more time you spend each day being the person you truly are, the faster you will move yourself and your world forward.
Joy, abundance and fulfillment are not just empty dreams, not just reserved for others, not just a matter of luck or timing. They come from living true to your highest purpose.

You do not need anyone else's permission to be the real, authentic person you know you can be. You do not need any special arrangements, circumstances or resources to be who you truly are.

Your job, your family, your friends, your responsibilities do not prevent you from being who you truly are. In fact, they provide you with ample opportunity to express your true self and to genuinely make a positive difference.

Any time is the right time, any situation is the right situation for you to live the marvelous abundance that is yours. You've been given a life that's unique and filled with special value, so live and delight in the best of that value.

Before another moment passes, begin to live as the person you will truly love to be.

-- Ralph Marston

[Dan Murphy]

Give

Just imagine how positive it would make your day if you offered a gift to everyone with whom you came in contact. It wouldn't have to be a material gift, but it could be. It could be the gift of your undivided attention, or a kind word, a smile, or perhaps a helping hand. It would be given freely and willingly, with genuine love and consideration, and with the expectation of nothing in return.
The more you give of yourself, the more you'll understand and appreciate how very much you have to give. Though most who receive your gifts will appreciate their sincerity, there will be those who won't. But that doesn't matter at all. What truly brings value to your life is the giving itself, undertaken with a sense of love and caring.

Give, and your world improves dramatically with each gift. Continue to give, and the positive energy builds upon itself. Think about it, and you'll see that you have plenty to give. If life seems dreary and pointless, try giving of yourself, and you'll quickly experience how truly beautiful and meaningful life can be.

-- Ralph Marston

[Dan Murphy]

Many blessings

When there's something you don't know, be thankful. You have just discovered an opportunity to learn. When difficulties come your way, be thankful. They put you in a position to grow and to become stronger. If you run up against your limitations, be thankful. You've just found a place to make improvements.
When you become tired and weary, be thankful. You know you've made a difference. If you make a mistake, be thankful. Now you'll remember clearly what not to do.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things in your life. But have you also thought to be thankful for the setbacks? Consider what a positive difference that can make. Your gratitude will challenge you to see even the disappointments in a more positive, empowering light.

Some of your blessings are immediately obvious. Many, however, are valuable because of the degree to which they compel you to learn, to grow, to persist and to endure. Life is filled with many blessings. Be thankful for them all, even the ones which challenge you the most.

-- Ralph Marston

[helenabear]

To Do Onto Others

During these most tempestuous of times,
It seems to me
To be
A no better time
For folks to remember that
Wise old adage uttered
So very long ago:

"Do onto to others
As you would have them
Do onto you.".

Friend,
Might you begin today to...

Have faith in others
As you want others to
Have faith in you?

It takes, after all,
At least two to form a couple,
And two or more to form a community,
And vastly many more to form a country.

Yet, it is not so much the numbers that should matter
As it should be the concerted will of souls, unencumbered
Following their nature to want to trust, to love and to work together,
To create at long last, a just, loving, and compassionate reality!

-- Hans Raffelt

[EROS]

"I believe in an America where religious intolerance will someday end -- where all men and all churches are treated as equals -- where every man has the same right to attend or not attend the church of his choice -- where there is no Catholic vote, no anti-Catholic vote, no bloc voting of any kind -- and where Catholics, Protestants and Jews, at both the lay and pastoral level, will refrain from those attitudes of disdain and division which have so often marred their works in the past, and promote instead the American ideal of brotherhood."

-- John F. Kennedy

[Dan Murphy]

So very true, Elaine.

Plenty of reasons

There are plenty of reasons for you to be angry if you choose to be. There are plenty of reasons to worry if you want to do so. There are plenty of reasons for you to throw away the precious moments of your life absorbed in idle gossip. There are plenty of reasons for wasting your time and energy with anger, worry, envy or other distractions. Yet even the best reasons do not give value to such empty pursuits.
Whenever you find yourself drawn into some kind of negative or destructive behavior, ask yourself a simple question. What good will ever really come of this? Consider what your negative thoughts and actions will bring you. They will bring you nothing of value.

Life is too precious to burden your days with useless behaviors. Use that energy instead to really live, to make a positive difference in the world, and to reap the many rewards which come from doing so.

There may be plenty of reasons to be negative, yet there's one overwhelmingly compelling reason to be positive and productive. That reason is your beautiful, precious, unique and irreplaceable life. Walk away from those unnecessary attitudes and behaviors that drag you down, and live each moment to the fullest.

-- Ralph Marston

[helenabear]

Beautiful words there Dan!! I have said this many times before but I do believe that Ralph Marston is a very wise man!!!

[EROS]

Welcome to the Ralph Marston LOVE-IN thread:rolleyes: :rolleyes:. Haven't we heard enough from Ralph????:confused: :confused:


The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.

-- John F. Kennedy,

[Dan Murphy]

Originally posted by helenabear
....I have said this many times before but I do believe that Ralph Marston is a very wise man!!!

He does have good thoughts so very frequently, Elaine. Good ways, and words, to live by.

Annoying behavior

There are plenty of alternatives to being annoyed. If someone else is doing something that has the potential to annoy you, you actually have a choice. You can choose to be annoyed, but why would you choose that? Or, you can choose to do something else, something more positive and productive.
The behavior of others is largely their problem, not yours. Yet when you choose to let it annoy you, it does become your problem by stealing your time and attention. Instead, look past them. Put the annoying behavior of others out of your mind and get busy on something positive and worthwhile. You have the choice, so use it!

The energy you spend on being annoyed can be put to much better use in other, more productive pursuits. And it's not even pleasant to be annoyed, so why let yourself be?

Refuse to give an annoying person power over your time, your thoughts and your energy. Choose to ignore them. You have much better things to do.

-- Ralph Marston

[Dan Murphy]

Courteous confidence


What you think of yourself is reflected in the way you treat others. A very effective way to raise your own level of confidence is by acting positively toward the people around you.
Rudeness toward others, whether intentional or not, is a sure sign of a lack of confidence. When you have no respect or consideration for others, it's difficult to have much confidence in yourself.

Ironically, one of the worst things you can do for yourself is to think only of yourself. The more genuine respect, consideration and courtesy you express toward those around you, the more your own confidence will grow.

If someone is rude to you, make every effort to be sincerely pleasant and courteous in return. Just because someone else is allowing rudeness to drain away their own energy, doesn't mean you must do the same.

Have the confidence to be courteous, and the confidence to act with genuine respect toward others. Your positive attitude and positive actions will empower you with even more confidence and energy.

-- Ralph Marston

[Dan Murphy]

Heather, we will have been all those things eventually.

Ralph does hit it on the head so often.

Feeling great


Wouldn't it be great to feel great? Stop for a moment and think of what it would be like.
There are probably many reasons why you've told yourself you cannot, or should not, feel great. Perhaps others have given you even more reasons. All those reasons may be completely true and valid. Yet they need not stand in your way of feeling great about yourself and the world in which you live.

Pretend for a moment that every disappointment you've ever experienced is now in the past. Pretend for a moment that every reason you've had for holding yourself back has suddenly vanished.

Just consider that it could be possible to feel great regardless of what others think of you, or do to you, or say to you. Consider that it could be possible to feel great, to be filled with joy and with life, no matter what your circumstances may be.

You don't need anyone's permission to feel great. In fact, you don't need anything other than to simply let yourself do it. Accept the overwhelmingly blessed abundance of life that you've been given. All the frustrations, the pain, the disappointments pale in comparison.

Wouldn't it be great to feel great? If only for a moment or two, let yourself do it, and see how truly great it can be.

-- Ralph Marston

[helenabear]

Thank you both Heather & Dan... very wonderful words each of you has picked to share. Very much needed thoughts for me to read today :D

[Dan Murphy]

Enjoy peace

Live today in peace. Peacefully accept what is, and work diligently to make of it what you wish. Act with peace toward others and you will be enjoy more peace yourself. Have the courage and strength to spend some time in silence and contemplation.
Let go of fear and guilt. Replace them with kindness and forgiveness. Rather than fretting over what is most impressive or most strategic, put your energy into doing what is right. Use your judgment not as a weapon for putting down others, but as a tool for building your own character.

Look past the things that usually annoy you. Marvel at the beauty of the world in which you live. Stop rushing so frantically. It accomplishes nothing. Make your efforts measured and determined. The results will be undeniably magnificent.

Decide to live this day in peace. See how powerful that can be. In peace there is strength. In peace there is effectiveness, purpose and determination. Experience the power of peace today and understand how very rich life can be.

-- Ralph Marston

[Dan Murphy]

Keep learning

In a world where knowledge and information are growing at an explosive pace, there is no formal learning procedure that can possibly keep up. The reason? It's almost impossible to discern today what you'll need to learn tomorrow. Yet one thing is certain -- you will indeed need to learn.
The way to keep up is by learning how to learn. Learn how to use the knowledge resources available to you, such as the Internet, the library, media and other people. There are plenty of ways to learn what you need to know. Take responsibility for your own learning. Determine what you need to find out, figure out how to do that, and then learn it.

One of the best ways to learn is to attempt something challenging. Almost anything you set out to do will require that you learn something new in order to get it finished. When the project is completed, not only will you have a tangible accomplishment, you also will have learned something valuable. That knowledge will stay with you.

Challenge yourself to always keep learning. It's essential for success in everything you do.

-- Ralph Marston

[Dan Murphy]

Spirituality - by Eman8tions

Spirituality is not about being neutral.

It's about integration, not suppression.

We are created with passion and feeling, strengths, weaknesses, hopes, dreams, and an amazing array of abilities, appearances, and history.

Look at what we are and what we've done.

An innovator, an inventor, an artist. All rebel against things as they are.

There is a paradox.

We must accept what is, as it is, in the form it manifests, before we can change it.

Before the light bulb can exist we must face the dark.

Spirituality is the alive energy of the world, exuberant, loving, caring, accepting, changing.

There is a way in which we are powerless, but there is also a way that power is unleashed in us.

Ah....the wisdom to know the difference.

[helenabear]

Thank you Dan for those thoughts. You know I like what Ralph Marston has to say but I will admit the last one you shared was really neat :D


Turn on your light
- an excerpt
by Ben Okri

The new era is already here:
Here the new time begins anew.
The new era happens every day,
Every day is a new world,
A new calendar.
All great moments, all great eras,
Are just every moment
And every day writ large.
Thousands of years of loving, failing, killing,
Creating, surprising, oppressing,
And thinking ought now to start
To bear fruit, to deliver their rich harvest.

Will you be at the harvest,
Among the gatherers of new fruits?
Then you must begin today to remake
Your mental and spiritual world,
And join the warriors and celebrants
Of freedom, realisers of great dreams.

You can't remake the world
Without remaking yourself.
Each new era begins within.
It is an inward event,
With unsuspected possibilities
For inner liberation.
We could use it to turn on
Our inward lights.
We could use it to use even the dark
And negative things positively.
We could use the new era
To clean our eyes,
To see the world differently,
To see ourselves more clearly.
Only free people can make a free world.
Infect the world with your light.
Help fulfill the golden prophecies.
Press forward the human genius.
Our future is greater than our past.

[Dan Murphy]

When we lose God, it is not God who is lost.
-Anonymous

At times any of us can fall into the trap of trying to make deals with
God. The thought seems to be, if I can make a deal with God, then I can
control the outcome that God alone seems to determine.

We cannot make deals with God-not because God is so hard-nosed,
but because we don't need to bargain with God. The good we are trying
to bargain for is already precious in the mind of God. We don't need to
bargain for the benefit of others because God already loves those
people and wants only good for them.

Yet at times we hear ourselves or others say things like, "Why doesn't
God come through for me? I put my money in the offering tray every
week, and I do things for my neighbors and friends. I volunteer for
good causes. Yet I still feel insecure and scared. Why doesn't God
answer my prayers?"

Perhaps the task is not to overwhelm God with all our effort but to
quietly listen and discover that the gift was outside our door all the
time. We were just too busy to pick it up.

---Days of Healing, Days of Joy

[Dan Murphy]

The moment is yours

This moment is the greatest opportunity you have. You can fill it with purpose, with love, with joy and fulfillment. In this moment is everything you are, and everything you have with which to work. It is the very real and powerful culmination of everything you have ever been, and you can do with it whatever you choose.
It may seem like an ordinary moment. Yet this moment is unlike any other because it is the only one which is now here. You do not have to wish for this moment as you do for the future. You do not have to regret this moment, and you might for some past moments. What you can do with this moment is far, far better than empty wishes or painful regrets. What you can do with this moment is to act on it and give it as much value as you're willing to give.

That is truly an opportunity with no equal, and it would be foolish indeed to pass it by. This moment is now yours, and its value is limited only by what you choose to do with it. Choose to make it great, then follow through on your commitment. Transform this greatest of opportunities into a magnificent reality.

-- Ralph Marston

[EROS]

"One of the proofs of the immortality of the soul is that myriads have believed in it. They have also believed the world was flat".

-- Mark Twain

[helenabear]

"Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principals which direct them."

- Napoleon Bonaparte

[Dan Murphy]

Did you notice?

Did you notice the sunrise this morning? Did you feel the gentle warmth in your child's heart as she kissed you? Did you stop to marvel at how many good people were doing their best to do their jobs to keep life moving positively forward?
Did you remember to appreciate and be thankful for all the good times you've known, and all the good things you have, and all the great possibilities which are open to you? Did you count your many blessings and look for new ways to share them?

Did you offer a kind word of encouragement? Did you suddenly smile for no reason and then keep on smiling because of how good it made everyone feel? Did you pause and just let your spirit be energized by the beauty and wonder of being alive? Did you say thank you every time you could?

On your list of things to do, be sure to include the things that really matter. By itself, simply being busy won't get you very far. Live, with your thoughts, your efforts and your time, like your life really means something, and sure enough, it will.

-- Ralph Marston

[Dan Murphy]

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.
--Truman Capote

Accepting failure in achieving goals we've set for our job, friendships,
and daily endeavors is seldom easy. We often demand success, if not
perfection, from ourselves and from others. We set standards that can
seldom be met; then, when we fail, we're humiliated rather than
humbled. And with this attitude, no matter how many successes we've
had, they're cancelled by one failure, no matter how small.

Our journey is made more difficult by these impossible expectations.
We seem to find it hard to believe that God does not expect perfection
and does not judge our success and failure by the same unbending
measuring stick we often apply to ourselves. We are successful every
moment that our actions are honest, loving, and consistent with our
values. And when they're not, we are successful when we admit our
shortcomings, make amends, and turn it all over to God.


---In God's Care

[Dan Murphy]

Worth every effort

There is something about freedom that always, eventually, lets the best shine through. Though it is regularly abused, neglected and taken for granted, freedom also provides fertile ground for magnificent achievements.
Most of freedom's greatest achievements go largely unnoticed because they are so wonderfully commonplace. Every day, millions of people make the most of their freedom to fashion lives of meaning and purpose and substance.

There was a time when freedom was all too rare. Even then, there were those who knew that freedom would be worth every sacrifice necessary to achieve it. We are indeed fortunate that so many have given so much, and continue to do so, in the name of freedom. And as such we are obligated to live in our freedom with care and diligence, with respect and responsibility.

Freedom requires effort to secure, to maintain and to fulfill the best of its promises. Freedom, when we truly value and appreciate all its implications, can bring out the very best in us like nothing else can. It's worth every effort.

-- Ralph Marston

[EROS]

"People say that what we are all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive."


-- Joseph Campbell,

[helenabear]

I'm Not Alone
While crying out for guidance,
holding that the flesh is weak,
From within a gentle silence,
comes the answers that I seek.

When my days are at their darkest
and the nights produce no rest,
in His spirit there's a stillness,
where He summons up my best.

Since temptations are unyielding
in their attempts to gain control,
His grace provides the shielding,
that protects my mortal soul.

Knowing I can not defeat them;
yet, with Him I'm not alone,
as He goes out to greet them,
soon my troubles will be gone.

I am shielded by His blessing
with this armor that I wear
and safe from life's transgressions
by the powers found in prayer.

My cup is free from sorrow,
it's overflowing at the brim.
I can stand and face tomorrow,
having placed my faith in Him.

~Eddie Moore Jr.

[Dan Murphy]

Another nice thought, Elaine. Thanks. :sunny:

You only lose energy when life becomes dull in your mind.
Your mind gets bored and therefore tired of doing nothing.
Get interested in something!
Get absolutely enthralled in something!
Get out of yourself!
Be somebody!
Do something.
The more you lose yourself in something
bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.


--Norman Vincent Peale

[Princess Michelle]

That is very good advice Dan, I like it. :D

[Dan Murphy]

Our boundaries are both inside and outside ourselves. No one can set them for us; we can only set them. We may wonder, What are they? How do we use them? Many of us come from families where, as children, our boundaries were disregarded, creating a pattern we continue to act on as adults.

Starting to set boundaries for ourselves takes time and practice. Because the experience is unfamiliar, we may often find ourselves veering between two extremes —holding back for fear of blurring our boundaries or acting as if we have no boundaries at all. But our willingness to set boundaries and stick with them brings us a clearer sense of who we are. We begin to learn where we start and end. We start to learn the same about other people. With boundaries comes a new sense of self-respect because they are our affirmation to ourselves that we are not objects to be trampled on or used, but we are human beings with dignity.

--Answers In The Heart

[Dan Murphy]

.. open up to hope and new possibilities.

Some mornings we may awaken filled with thoughts of what is wrong
in our lives. Perhaps we obsess about our failures or the limits of our
relationships. If we let ourselves sink into self-loathing, we build a wall
that separates us from those things that nurture us and give us joy.

When we awaken to the living and growing world, our spirits lift and
open up to hope and new possibilities. Walking along an old sidewalk
or across an abandoned parking lot, we see cracks in the concrete or
asphalt and new green growth pushing through. Where there is enough
soil to hold a seed, there is the possibility of a tree someday. The
universe seizes opportunities for renewal that slip through the slightest
opening.

--The More We Find in Each Other

[helenabear]

Dan I really truly loved these last two... the last one in particular. Thank you so much for all these wonderful thoughts you find!

[Dan Murphy]

Wonderful life


Life is wonderful, abundant, filled with beauty and joy. There is simply no way to deny that. Certainly there is tragedy in this world. And yet in order to even grasp the concept of tragedy, you must start with the assumption that life is very much worth living.
Even the disappointments point out the potential goodness of life. Because every disappointment is the result of knowing that life can indeed be better, that the positive possibilities are very much there.

It is an undeniable reality that this day has magnificent possibilities. When you can see those possibilities, and focus upon them, and follow where they lead, you'll bring them to life.

Yes, things could be better than they are at the moment. And you are blessed with the ability to make them better. This very day is the day to do it.

-- Ralph Marston

[Dan Murphy]

Really live

Imagine a sparkling, blue sea, filled with life and color and beauty. Now think for a moment about how you can most fully experience it.
If you try to take it for yourself and keep what you have taken for yourself and no one else, all you end up with is a bucket of salty water. Yet when you let go of your need to possess, and dive in, immersing yourself in the sea and giving yourself to it, then you fully experience its magnificence.

Similarly, when you try to take from life and hoard a small bucket of it for yourself, whatever you get is not really worth having. It is when you dive in and give of yourself that you experience the real meaning and beauty of being alive.

Life is simply too grand and too magnificent for you ever to be able to take anything away from it. You can never take away and keep for yourself anything more than a mere token. When you really give is when you really live.

-- Ralph Marston

[Dan Murphy]

Light the darkness

Light does not conquer darkness by pushing the darkness out of the way. Rather, the light comes into the darkness and transforms it with brilliant, positive energy.
In the same way, the obstacles in life are not conquered by fighting them on their own terms or attempting to push them out of the way. The best way to move past a difficult situation is to transform it with positive, productive energy.

No matter how much you push against the darkness it will not go anywhere. Yet the moment you shine your light, the darkness is no more. When you fight against your problems, all it usually accomplishes is to make them stronger and give them more validity. Instead, seek to transform those problems, those difficult situations, by virtue of your own positive values and efforts.

Rather than struggling against the situation, give the best you have to it. Rather than fighting darkness with more darkness, transform that darkness by letting your light shine.

-- Ralph Marston

[Dan Murphy]

In three words, I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on.

- Robert Frost


If we've ever dug in a garden and unearthed an ants' nest, we can recall
their first reaction to our unintended destruction: they do everything
possible to save their lives and supplies. The ants scurry around,
moving the larvae to an underground room. Exposed contents are then
relocated to unseen passages. In a matter of minutes, the ants are again
safely underground and ready to resume their daily routines.

How do we react when some catastrophe or unplanned event occurs?
Do we want to crawl under a rock or are we as resilient as the ants?
Instead of moaning over postponed plans or the loss of something in
our lives, we can try to be like the ants and learn how to best work with
circumstances that come our way.

Life doesn't stop for us to lick wounds or add fuel to grievances. Hours
pass, we grow older, nature continues. Every event is part of life's
cycle. We can't run away from anything. We must meet life head-on
and adjust to its ebb and flow.


--Night Light

[Dan Murphy]

The love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to
say to him: "What are you going through?"

Simone Weil

Love is listening to our friends and really hearing what they have to
say. Sometimes we find it hard to listen because we are so full of
ourselves. We don't hear well when we stop listening and start thinking
about our own responses.

We feel most heard when someone doesn't try to fix us or give us all
the answers. Mostly, we need a friend to let us pour our hearts out, to
tell our stories to. In giving another the same attention we'd like to
have, we live by the Golden Rule, and we allow ourselves the rewards
of true friendship.

Today let me bring a friend my undivided attention

---Our Best Days

[JC2]

Dan, thank you so much for sharing this.
I so agree that way too often we ask "how are you?" and never even hear the person's reply. I think they pick up on that and know we aren't listening. Certainly we wouldn't do that on purpose, but sometimes in our busy-ness it happens. I like to say it this way: Spend some "on purpose" time with people, not just your "leftovers".

Sobering thought today, Dan. Thank you! :D

[Dan Murphy]

JC2 :D

No man really becomes a fool until he stops asking questions.

Charles P. Steinmetz

We often pass up the chance to ask a question of someone because we
don't want to feel stupid. In the past, we kept very busy trying to look
like we were in control; trying to seem as though we already knew
what we needed to know. Now, in our new awareness that we can't
live life alone, there is much we need to ask. We can learn a lot from
children in this area. They are so wonderfully free of inhibitions when
it comes to asking questions, and as a result, they learn. Their world
expands.

We understand ourselves and others better when we ask questions,
when we seek out new knowledge. We haven't experienced, studied,
read about, or heard everything there is to know, so we have many
questions, especially in the area of recovery. Now we know we can go
ahead and ask, that it's okay, that the answer may help improve the
quality of our lives. The more we search, the more we will learn, and
the more serenity we will find. Like children, our minds are hungry
for knowledge.

Today help me ask questions without worrying about looking foolish,
and respond to questions in the most helpful way I can.

---Body, Mind, and Spirit