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10
February 2009 |
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Every day I live I
am more convinced that the waste of life lies in the love we have
not given, the powers we have not used, the selfish prudence that
will risk nothing and which, shirking pain, misses happiness as
well.
Mary
Cholmondeley
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The
purpose of life is not to be happy. The purpose of life is to
matter, to be productive, to have it make some difference that you live at
all.
Leo
Rosten
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The most noble charity is
to prevent our neighbor from having the need to accept charity, and the
best gift is to teach and assist our neighbors in giving freely.
Sina M. Reid
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The
Light of a Brighter Day
Helen Keller
I choose
for my subject, faith wrought into life apart from creed or
dogma. By faith, I mean a vision of good one cherishes and
enthusiasm that pushes one to seek its fulfillment, regardless
of obstacles. Faith is a dynamic power that breaks the
chain of routine, and gives a new, fine turn to old
commonplaces. Faith reinvigorates the will, enriches the
affections, and awakens a sense of creativeness. Active
faith knows no fear, and it is a safeguard to me against
cynicism and despair.
After
all, faith is not one thing or two or three things. It is
an indivisible totality of beliefs that inspire me: belief
in God as infinite goodwill and all-seeing Wisdom, whose
everlasting arms sustain me walking on the sea of life.
Trust in my fellow people, wonder at their fundamental goodness,
and confidence that after this night of sorrow and oppression,
they will rise up strong and beautiful in the glory of the
morning. Reverence for the beauty and preciousness of the
earth, and a sense of responsibility to do what I can to make it
a habitation of health and plenty for all people. Faith in
immortality because it renders less bitter the separation from
those I have loved and lost, and because it will free me from
its unnatural limitations, and unfold still more faculties I
have in joyous activity.
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Even if my
vital spark should be blown out, I believe that I should behave
with courageous dignity in the presence of fate and strive to be a
worthy companion of the beautiful, the good, and the true.
But fate has its master in the faith of those who surmount it, and
limitation has its limits for those who, though disillusioned,
live greatly.
It was a
terrible blow to my faith when I learned that millions of my
fellow creatures must labor all their days for food and shelter,
beat the most crushing burdens, and die without having known the
joy of living. My security vanished forever, and I have
never regained the radiant belief of my young years that earth is
a happy home and hearth for the majority of humankind. But
faith is a state of mind. The believer is not soon
disheartened. If the believers are turned out of their
shelter, they build up a house that the winds of the earth cannot
destroy.
When I
think of suffering and famine, and the continued slaughter of
human beings, my spirit bleeds. But the thought comes to me
that, like the little deaf, dumb, and blind child I once was,
humankind is growing out of the darkness of ignorance and hate
into the light of a brighter day.
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Based
on the NPR series of the same name, This I
Believe features eighty essayists--from
the famous to the previously
unknown--completing the thought that begins
the book's title. It's a stirring and
provocative trip inside the minds and hearts
of a diverse group of people whose
beliefs--and the remarkably varied ways in
which they choose to express them--reveal the
American spirit at its best. |
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Forget
to Remember
Gail
Pursell Elliott
When
we forget to remember to do something that we wanted
to do, it can be pretty frustrating. For
example, when I forget to remember to change the
clocks from daylight savings time back to standard
time it can throw off all sorts of other plans.
Though
most of us agree that all people want and have the
right to be treated with dignity and respect, no
exceptions, life's distractions can cause us to
forget to remember to act in accordance with that
statement.
We
usually don't forget to remember things that are
part of our usual routine but when we have to export
our routines into new environments all bets are off.
For example, we may not forget to remember to take
care of our personal needs at home, but we might
forget to remember to pack something we need to do
that for a trip. That's why hotels have
complimentary toothbrushes available at the front
desk.
We
may think that forgetting to remember is a negative,
but that is not always the case. If you have ever
forgotten to be nervous in the midst of doing
something that you anticipated with anxiety, you
understand what this means.
There
are plenty of things in life that we would be better
off forgetting to remember, such as past hurts,
disappointments, fears or perceived failures.
People
who act quickly with courage and heroism forget to
remember to think first of their own safety. We
can be successful when forget to remember
failure. We can be happy when we forget to
remember sadness.
Remembering
and forgetting can be choices rather than seemingly
unbidden forces that assault us from some nefarious
cloud. Where we place our attention often
determines what we remember and what we forget.
The
process of forgetting to remember is simply
replacing one thought with another. When a
thought or feeling presents itself that distracts us
from either what we are doing or the potential of
the present moment, we can rebuke it with the simple
words, "Forget that."
We
can also make a list of things we want to remember
to forget, just as we make lists of things we want
to not forget to remember. When something
intrudes on the present moment experience that does
not serve us, rather than trying to push it down or
away, we can acknowledge it by putting it on the
forget list or check the forget list to see if it is
already there. If it is, we can simply put a
check mark next to it.
This
may sound like a negative exercise, but in reality
it is a process of externalizing thoughts and
feelings that we would rather not carry around with
us, that distract us from the present moment and the
many gifts it holds.
Remembering
to forget is an exercise in personal power and our
ability to choose. When we remember to forget
negatives we have a better chance of not forgetting
to remember current commitments or positives that
impact the present moment.
When
we become totally immersed in present moment
awareness we forget to remember anything that would
distract us from it. When we forget to
remember what or where we have been, we can fully
experience the present moment. We can replace
the limiting, "I have always been," with
the positive potential of "I am."
Have
a great day and be good to yourself. You
deserve it!
Gail
©
Gail Pursell Elliott All rights reserved.
Food For Thought is part of the Dignity and Respect
message that is Innovations and is the intellectual
property of Gail Pursell Elliott. Contact Gail at info@innovations-training.com
or at 515.388.9600 |
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The
Houdini Syndrome
Bob Welch
I am the poster boy
for overcommitment. And I'm not particularly proud of
that. We all have our weaknesses, and if I look at my life in
the last decade, running too fast has been mine. Oh, I could
justify that it's nearly all good stuff that I run toward--I'm not the
guy blowing two hours watching trash TV or playing two rounds of golf
a week while my sons wonder why Dad never shows up for their games.
I could match my
attendance at kids' games with nearly any parent and come out on
top. I could rationalize that I've never had a nervous breakdown
or resorted to any sort of illicit drug--pop isn't illegal, is it?--to
keep myself going.
Still, I have to
face the reality that I'm far busier than I should be.
The good news is,
I'm changing; the bad news is, that's like a 400-pound man saying he's
going on a diet.
At times, my weeks
have this Houdini quality about them: I bind myself in handcuffs
and crawl into a trunk. The trunk is wrapped with chains.
Then the trunk is dropped to the bottom of the East River to see if I
can break free and swim to the surface without drowning.
Thus far, I've
gotten out of the jam every time, broken the surface of the water just
before my lungs are about to burst.
But though that
might equate to success in the world's eyes, it does not in God's
eyes. Because enslaving ourselves like that asks a price, though
we're often so desperately trying to unshackle ourselves that we don't
take time to notice.
For me, that price
has been a number of things:
A subtle, but
real, loss of patience: When you're tired, anger more easily
gains a foothold on you. It may not be a four-letter-word,
dog-kicking, fist-slamming barrage of anger, but I know it's
there. And I know it sometimes gets used against the people I
love the most.
A subtle, but
real, loss of creativity: When you're tired, you're more apt to
settle for the ordinary when, somewhere deep inside, you might find
the extraordinary.
A subtle, but
real, loss of control over the more mundane aspects of life:
checking accounts that need more consistent pruning, financial matters
that need more plowing and planting, closets and dressers that need
more consistent weeding.
But the more
serious price has come in the areas that I'm called to make my
priorities: my relationship with God and my relationship with
others, in particular my wife.
I've given time to
both, but it hasn't been the quantity, or quality, they deserve.
Again, I look good on paper: I'm an elder at our church, I teach
Sunday school, I occasionally preach a sermon, I speak to men's
groups. But I know, deep down, that God doesn't want a resume from
me; He wants a relationship with me. And when you wedge
God into your daily planner as if He were just another line on the
To-Do List, that relationship suffers.
Likewise, I could
point out trips I've taken with my wife, presents I've given her,
dinners out we've shared. But I know, deep down, that she'd
trade such things for more consistent "ordinary" time with
me, time that might be nothing more than a walk around the block but
which is given with my full attention, not as some sort of
parenthetical phrase in the midst of a more significant sentence. . .
.
I've come to learn
that you can't have it all. So you have to decide what you want
and what you're willing to give up. Some people decide what they
want more than anything is to be successful in business and thus are
willing to sacrifice their family to get there. I'm not among
them. . . .
I believe we're
called to give our best to God; our work should be done with gusto and
quality. But we're also called to lives of balance, and when we
get out of balance, our work becomes a legalistic
going-through-the-motions, not something filled with heart. Our
work becomes more important than the people who it's intended
for. Our lives are guided by our heads and not our hearts.
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In
this collection of heartwarming, introspective stories,
you'll find Welch's examinations of the things in life that
are truly important: the people you cherish, the
dreams you share, and the talents God has given exclusively
to you. You'll be reminded of the things that make
life so special: love, friendships, and building
relationships that last a lifetime. |
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It does not
always help to analyze and think about problems with your rational
mind.
Sometimes it is far more effective to turn to your inner
self, to ask the universe for
help. Simply sit quietly. Take
a few deep breaths and focus your awareness within.
Ask your wise
inner self, either silently or aloud, for guidance or help in
understanding
the message. As you get a sense of what feels right,
act on this feeling.
Shakti
Gawain
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Living
Life Fully, the e-zine
exists to try to provide for visitors of the world wide web a
place
of growth, peace, inspiration, and encouragement. Our
articles
are presented as thoughts of the authors--by no means do
we
mean to present them as ways that anyone has to live
life. Take
from them what you will, and disagree with
whatever you disagree
with--just know that they'll be here for you
each week. |
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I Was Wondering.
. . .
Beth Burns
If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to
preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that
her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so
indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing
antidote against the boredom and disenchantments of later years,
and the sterile preoccupation with things that are artificial, the
alienation from the sources of our strength.
I having been taking this marvelous class
called People Are Inquisitive. The premise of
the course is that wonder, curiosity and inquiry are the source of
all learning. Well, I have to admit that when I first signed
up for this course, I wasn't sure that the content would keep my
attention for the full four weeks. Alas, I was wrong, as I
often am (oh yes, this is true!), and I have been delighted at
rediscovering my sense of wonder! It brings such a
"lightness" into conversations!
Have you ever been around a toddler? They have SO MUCH to
ask about and learn! They talk on and on with
incessant questions about why things are the way they are.
Many a parent or teacher have become exasperated (and amused!) at
a child's sense of wonder. And yet, it is by asking and
being curious that we learn the most. We can
experience life so fully when we recall what it is like to just be
free and wonder about anything and everything.
Here are just some things I have been wondering about lately.
I wonder:
... who my children are becoming?
... how God decided what colors to use in the rainbow?
... what it would really be like to win the lottery?
... how ants carry so darn much?
... what it would be like to be an artist in Paris?
... where the wind goes?
... what it would be like to be a big, fluffy, fat house cat?
... what life is like from a wheelchair?
... what it would be like to take a year off and travel the world?
... what my future grandchildren (and great grandchildren) will
look like?
... what it would be like to be six inches taller?
... where I will live when I retire?
... when I will take a hot air balloon ride and how it will feel?
... what it would feel like to be a leaf that turns colors and
fall off the tree?
... what bees do for fun? sting people? dip into the
honey all day long?
... who is reading this article now and what is life like for that
person?
As you can see, when we allow ourselves to open up to a sense of
wonder, we grow and generate more interest in others and in our
world. This allows for fresh, creative space and for closer
relationships. A sense of wonder initiates exploratory
conversations, where authentic communication begins. With
wonder and curiosity as the foundation for a conversation, we
allow ourselves the freedom of just staying present with the other
person and simply "being." Wonder honors our
intuition and produces heart-to-heart communication.
It's been said that to wonder is to begin to understand.
Wonder most definitely creates possibilities! Where's your
sense of wonder? Have you gotten so bogged down in the
minute-to minute "stuff" that life has become
dull? Bring forth your curious, creative, sense of wonder
and dust if off -- lighten up and wonder about everything!
We are all amazing and awesome beings and our world is
extraordinary even when days may be dark. A sense of wonder
reminds of just how vast the unknown is and how much we have to
learn each day. That's great news!
~~~~~~~~~~~
Soul Restoration Tip
They
say that every snowflake is different. If that were true, how
could the world go on? How could we ever get up off our knees?
How could we ever recover from the wonder of it?
~ Jeanette
Winterson
There are no such things as limits to growth, because there
are no limits on the human capacity for intelligence,
imagination and wonder. ~ Ronald Reagan
What is it that you wonder about? Take a notebook and
begin to write all the things you wonder about. You may
want to label these, "Questions for God", knowing that
you may never know the answers in this lifetime. Notice
when you do this though, how LIGHT and fun it becomes to just
allow the wonder to bubble up within and come out. List
100 things that you wonder about and you may just find yourself
walking on air!
~~~~~~~~~~~
My Wish for You
I wish each of you a
world of wonder, possibilities, and warm memories.
©2002
Beth Burns. Beth is a Professional Life Coach -- partnering
with motivated people on their personal and professional goals.
Her mission is to teach people to love themselves and to love the
life they create. She offers two free email newsletters and
can be visited on the web at www.BrightSideCoaching.com.
She is also the Founder and Creator of The Inner Peace Project (www.innerpeaceproject.com),
a journey in celebrating the masterpiece and divine person you are,
no matter what circumstances you are in. She can be reached by
calling 678-938-0419 or by email at Beth@BrightSideCoaching.com.
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God
looks at the world through the eyes of love. If we,
therefore,
as human beings made in the image of God also want
to see reality rationally, that is, as it truly is, then we,
too, must learn to look at what we see with love.
Roberta
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Magnus
Est Veritas (Great Is Truth)
Coventry Patmore
Here in this
little Bay,
Full of tumultuous life and great repose,
Where, twice a day,
The purposeless, glad ocean comes and goes,
Under high cliffs, and far from the huge town,
I sit me down.
For want of me the world's course will not fail;
When all its work is done. The lie shall rot;
The truth is great, and shall prevail,
When none cares whether it prevail or not.
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