Happy New Year!
Too many people are praying for mountains of difficulty to be removed, when what they really need is the courage to climb them.
We are often going to feel as though we are "caught between a rock and a hard place" as my mother used to say. But it is the practice of moving past our fears and digging deep to find the courage to push past our difficulties and climb the mountain.
May you always find the courage within to climb the mountain.
"We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can
let them soften us, and make us kinder.
We always have the choice."
~Dalai Lama
In every circumstance, good or bad, there is a high road
and a low road leading from it...the question is,
which one will you take?
May you always be willing to choose the road
of peace and kindness.
"Truth lies within ourselves. It takes no rise from outward things whatever you may believe. There is an inmost center in us all where truth abides in fulness and to know rather consists in opening out a way whence the imprisoned splendor may escape than in effecting entry for light supposed to be without."
~Robert Browning
Truth does not lie in what others may think of us, but in the Truth we find within ourselves. By knowing our Truth and embracing our strengths as well as weaknesses, we are able to release doubt and fear and bask in the light of being ourselves.
May you always be willing to know your Truth.
"Life is too short to be small."
~Benjamin Disraeli
When we think of our lives as being small and meaningless, they tend to turn out that way. That's because an elevated life begins with an elevated perception and living large begins with stretching both our dreams and our imaginations to match the limitlessness of the universe we live in. We have to think big. -Kate Nowak
May you always be willing to live large.
Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds us down
or polishes us up depends on us.
~Thomas L. Holdcroft
Like the exterior of a geode, we can choose to see life as a grindstone, dwelling on the struggles and rough patches of everyday life. Or perhaps we can look deeper within and find the surprise and beauty that is possible in each moment.
May you always be aware that the polish
is just below the crusty surface.
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 Teresa
May this be the day you break free and enjoy
all that life has to give.
Please take
RESPONSIBILITY
for the
ENERGY
you bring into
THIS SPACE
~Jill Bolte Taylor
We've all felt it...the ENERGY that one person can bring into a room. It's contagious...it can be as wonderful as someone entering a room like a ray of sunshine and filling it with joy and laughter or worse yet, bringing it down with feelings of sorrow, anger and fear.
I have always admired individuals old and young who have the ability to be upbeat and positive...even in the face of adversity. However, what I know for sure is that being positive is a conscious decision, a choice.
Each one of us has the power within ourselves to choose the energy we bring into a room. It can be POSITIVE or NEGATIVE, and it requires only one simple task...making the decision to fill your mind with one or the other.
May you always be willing to take responsibility for the energy you bring.
They know me in a way no one ever has.
They open me to things I never knew existed.
They open me to things I never knew existed.
They drive me to insanity and push me to my depths.
They are the beat of my heart,
the pulse of my veins,
and the energy in my soul.
They are my kids.
~anonymous
Sweet Nicole, Em-Azing,
Tim-my-Favorite and Hannah my Heart.
I am brought to my knees by the power of a mothers love...I am in awe by the blessings of four remarkably individual children who are passionate, thoughtful and loving...raising you has stretched and exposed my heart to a plethora of emotions...and at the end of the day, when you lay your head on the pillow, I hope you go to sleep knowing that everything I do for you, comes solely from a place of love...my heart.
I love you without knowing
how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly,
without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know
no other way than this:
where i does not exist, not you.
so close, that your hand
on my chest is my hand.
so close that your eyes close
as i fall asleep.
SONNET XVII
Pablo Neruda
"To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
to reach for another is to risk involvement.
To expose your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd, is to risk their loss.
to love is to risk no being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To believe is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The people who risk nothing do nothing, have nothing, are nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.
Chained by their attitudes, they are slaves; they have forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is free."
When you stop and think about it, what greater risk can you face than to look back on your life and realize that had you taken the risks at hand, you might have truly lived. Life is risky business, put yourself out there and live!
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
to reach for another is to risk involvement.
To expose your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd, is to risk their loss.
to love is to risk no being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To believe is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The people who risk nothing do nothing, have nothing, are nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.
Chained by their attitudes, they are slaves; they have forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is free."
~Poem quoted in "Dear Abby"
When you stop and think about it, what greater risk can you face than to look back on your life and realize that had you taken the risks at hand, you might have truly lived. Life is risky business, put yourself out there and live!
May you always be willing to take risks.
wanderlust (n):
a strong desire for or
impulse to wander or
travel and explore the world.
“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.”
— Jack Kerouac (On the Road)
— Jack Kerouac (On the Road)
Wherever your journey may take you, may you always be willing to explore with open eyes.
Understand the Statement
"Wherever You go, There You Are"
This is the title of a super book by Jon Kabat-Zinn. As the title suggests, wherever you go, you take yourself with you! The significance of this statement is that it can teach you to stop constantly wishing you were somewhere else. We tend to believe that if we were somewhere else- on vacation, with another partner,in a different career, a different home, a different circumstance-somehow we would be happier and more content. We wouldn't!
The truth is, if you have destructive mental habits---if you get annoyed and bothered easily, if you feel angry and frustrated a great deal of the time, or if you're constantly wishing things were different, these identical tendencies will follow you, wherever you go. And the reverse is also true. If you are a generally happy person who rarely gets annoyed and bothered, then you can move from place to place, from person to person, with very little negative impact.
Someone once asked me, "What are the people like in California?" I asked him, "What are the people like in your home state?" He replied, "Selfish and greedy." I told him that he would probably find the people in California to be selfish and greedy.
Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple realization that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present. Then, as you move around, try new things, and meet new people, you carry that sense of inner peace with you. It's absolutely true that "Wherever you go, there you are."
From the book-"Don't Sweat the Small Stuff..." by Richard Carlson
May you always remember that inner peace is always found in the present, never in the future.
Tony Campolo is well known for telling the story of one Sunday when he had a little preaching competition with the head pastor at the church where he attends.
Dr. Campolo tells how he preached the perfect sermon in every way and had taken the congregation to ‘the heights of glory’. As he sat down beside his pastor, Dr. Tony patted him on the knee and simply said, “Top that.” The older black pastor looked at him and said, “Boy, watch the master.” The following Utube video of S.M. Lockridge's sermon, combined with footage from the Passion of the Christ delivers the very brilliant message which followed.
May you always remember that no matter what Friday brings...Sunday's coming.
Dr. Campolo tells how he preached the perfect sermon in every way and had taken the congregation to ‘the heights of glory’. As he sat down beside his pastor, Dr. Tony patted him on the knee and simply said, “Top that.” The older black pastor looked at him and said, “Boy, watch the master.” The following Utube video of S.M. Lockridge's sermon, combined with footage from the Passion of the Christ delivers the very brilliant message which followed.
May you always remember that no matter what Friday brings...Sunday's coming.
An old Cherokee told his grandson:
"My son, there's a battle between two wolves inside us all.
One is EVIL
It's anger, jealousy, greed, resentment,
inferiority, lies and ego.
The other is GOOD.
It's joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness & truth."
The boy thought about it, and asked:
"Grandfather, which wolf wins?"
The old man quietly replied:
"The one you feed."
May you always be willing to feed yourself with Goodness.
God doesn't give you the people you want, He gives you the people you need. To help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you the person you were meant to be. ~Anonymous
Be it through strength or adversity, each person
we encounter has a lesson to teach.
The question is...are you open to learning the lesson?
May you always be aware, the best lessons
are often learned through adversity.
I AM STRONG
because I know my Weaknesses
I AM BEAUTIFUL
because I am aware of my Flaws
I AM FEARLESS
because I learned to recognize, illusion from Real
I AM WISE
because I learn from my Mistakes
I AM A LOVER
because I have felt Hate
and...
I CAN LAUGH
because I have known sadness
~Anonymous
(Photo by Nikki Krecicki)
May you always recognize the true identity of the person within.
Artist Simon Beck must really love the cold weather! Along the frozen
lakes of Savoie, France, he spends days plodding through the snow in
raquettes (snowshoes), creating these sensational patterns of snow art.
Working for 5-9 hours a day, each final piece is typically the size of
three soccer fields! The geometric forms range in mathematical patterns
and shapes that create stunning, sometimes 3D, designs when viewed from
higher levels.
How long these magnificent geometric forms survive is completely
dependent on the weather. Beck designs and redesigns the patterns as new
snow falls, sometimes unable to finish a piece due to significant
overnight accumulations. Interestingly enough, he said, 'The main reason
for making them was because I can no longer run properly due to
problems with my feet, so plodding about on level snow is the least
painful way of getting exercise. Gradually, the reason has become
photographing them, and I am considering buying a better camera.”
Spectacular art for the sake of exercise!
Simon Beck- Snow Art
"Art is both the taking and giving of beauty; the turning out to the light the inner folds of the awareness of the spirit. It is the recreation on another plane of the realities of the world; the tragic and wonderful realities of earth and men, and of all the inter-relations of these."
~Ansel Adams
Simon Beck- Snow Art
"Art is both the taking and giving of beauty; the turning out to the light the inner folds of the awareness of the spirit. It is the recreation on another plane of the realities of the world; the tragic and wonderful realities of earth and men, and of all the inter-relations of these."
~Ansel Adams
"For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin. Real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. This perspective has helped me to see there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment you have and remember that time waits for no one. Happiness is a journey, not a destination."
Some people travel around the world looking for where they want to be...searching for happiness and fulfillment. It's not until they return, unfulfilled, that they realize they were there before they even left.
May you always be aware that you have already arrived.
~John Phillip Souza
Some people travel around the world looking for where they want to be...searching for happiness and fulfillment. It's not until they return, unfulfilled, that they realize they were there before they even left.
May you always be aware that you have already arrived.
"Well, I don't know. Some things in life, like the color of a house, don't really matter. But lifting someone's heart? Now, that matters."
-August Boatwright: from the novel - The Secret Life of Bees
When we come to any situation from a place of love, where kindness is Queen and lifting the heart of another is King. It is there that we can live strengthened by each other through simple acts of kindness and focus on what truly matters.
May lifting someone's heart, always matter more than what others think.
Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul.
It is daily admission of one's weakness...
And so, it is better in prayer to have a heart
without words than words without a heart.
-Gandhi
This great spiritual teacher reminds us that prayer of the deepest kind is more a pledge of gratitude for what has already been received than a request or plea for something not yet experienced. Such an effort refreshes the soul.
Implicit in Gandhi's instruction is the need to surrender to our lives here on Earth. By admitting our weaknesses, we lay down all the masks we show the world and as we do so, what is holy floods in.
I once saw a blind man rocking endlessly in the sun, an unstoppable smile on his face. Not a word was uttered. To me, he was a priest, a shaman, and his whole being was praying and shouting in silence that the day, beyond his blindness, was happily enough.
This is what the heart knows beyond all words, if we can find a way to listen: that beyond our small sense of things a magnificent light surrounds us, more than anyone could ask for. This is what prayer as gratitude can open us to.
-Mark Nepo/The Book of Awakening
True hope dwells on the possible,
even when life seems to be a plot
written by someone
who wants to see how much adversity we can overcome.
True hope responds to the real world,
to real life; it is an active effort.
-Walter Anderson
May you always be aware that HOPE comes when you least expect it...
HOPE comes in all forms...
HOPE can make the impossible...POSSIBLE.
"Happiness is really caring and being able to do something about the caring."
~Brian O'Connell
Make the assumption that everyone you know, as well as any stranger you meet along the way, is in need of kindness. Odds are pretty good you'll be right. Your smile, your hug, your softly spoken word, gentleness, or pat on the shoulder may be just what they need and can only make them feel better about themselves, just as being treated kindly by others makes you feel better.
One of the worst mistakes you can ever make is to assume your acts of kindness are not necessary. Your random acts of kindness are crucial to the health and well-being of the entire planet and assuming they are not only serves to make you feel of less value than you really are. That's a self-pity trip that no one needs to embark upon. So send kindness forth instead. You'll feel better about yourself. And you'll feel better about your world.
~Kate Nowak
May you always make it a practice to practice kindness.
"You must know that in any moment a decision you make can change the course of your life forever: the very next person stand behind in line or sit next to on an airplane, the very next phone call you make or receive, the very next movie you see or book you read or page you turn could be the one single thing that causes the floodgates to open, and all of the things that you’ve been waiting for to fall into place." – Anthony Robbins
We then visited a castle in San Damiano just outside of Assisi—the home of the convent St. Francis had set up for St. Clare, the first female admitted into the Franciscan order. Our plan was to walk up to the third level to see the place where St. Clare had died. A young man named John Graybill was the first one up the stairs and I was right behind him. John was twenty-two years old and weighed nearly two hundred pounds with his leg braces on, which he wore because, as he said, his body—not he—had muscular dystrophy. When we got up eight or nine steps, the staircase started to narrow and John realized to his dismay that he couldn’t go any further—he couldn’t extend his legs to the left or to the right, which is the only way he could manage to climb a flight of stairs. He turned to me and said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t go back down the steps because of all the people in line and I can’t go up because I can’t move my legs.” I immediately said, “Why don’t you get on my back and I’ll carry you?”
But I had forgotten a couple of things—I forgot that I was sixty years old, and I also forgot that I had serious ligament and cartilage damage in my knees that required surgery. (I had run eight miles a day, every day, for twenty-two years and had also played a lot of tennis, so for the last several years, I had been forced to wear a brace while doing those activities.) After going up just a couple of steps with John on my back, I suddenly felt my knees starting to crumble. At that very moment, I had a vision of St. Francis, and suddenly my knees went from crumbling to becoming straight and erect and strong. I also had an incredible burst of energy like I’ve never had before in my entire life. I didn’t just walk up the rest of the stairs, I ran up the last two-and-a-half flights with John on my back!
When I got to the top, I wasn’t even winded. My wife was incredulous. She said, “How could you have carried him up like that? You were running but you still have all of this energy!” Everyone was shocked over what I had just done, including me. I went out on the balcony, put my hands together in prayer, and gave thanks to St. Francis for what seemed like a miraculous healing.
That run up the stairs with John on my back was one of the most miraculous and life-changing events in my life. It will be seven years this October and my knees are completely healed—I no longer have to wear braces to play tennis or to run. It’s clear to me that the divinely inspired energy of St. Francis is still at work today in that ancient castle.Sixty Seconds: One Moment Changes Everything
May you always be aware that your "moment" could be just around the corner.
New York artist Tom Fruin’s outdoor sculpture Kolonihavehus in the plaza of the Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen has the appearance of a friendly and colorful stained-glass house, yet it also evokes thoughts of churches and Charles Rennie Macintosh.
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