--Author Unknown
I believe ---
We don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
No matter how good friends are, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
True friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes
for true love.
You can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
It is taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
You can keep going long after you can't.
We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
Either you control your attitude or it controls you.
Regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion
fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
Heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.
Money is a lousy way of keeping score.
My best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
Sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean
they don't love you with all they have.
Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had, and what
you've learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
It isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn
to forgive yourself.
No matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
Just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other;
And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
You shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
Your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
Even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you,
you will find the strength to help.
Credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
You should tell people you love that you love them, as often as possible, because you never know when your last chance will be.
16 Things It Took Me 50 Years To Learn:
(reported to have been written by Dave Barry)
1. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight-savings time.
2. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.
3. The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.
4. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are
above-average drivers.
5. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11.
6. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness".
7. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.
8. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings".
9. The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to annoy people who are not in them.
10. If there really is a God who created the entire universe with all of its glories, and He decides to deliver a message to humanity, He WILL NOT use, as His messenger, a person on cable TV
with a bad hairstyle.
11. You should not confuse your career with your life.
12. A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.
13. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.
14. When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.
15. Your friends love you, anyway.
16. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
Life's Lessons
One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.
As he stood in front of the group of high powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one gallon, wide mouth mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?"
He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied.
He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good."
Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it! "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point.
The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all." What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your dreams? A worthy cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all.
So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then, put those in your jar first.
A Memo From A Child To Parents
1. Don't spoil me. I know quite well that I ought not to have all I ask for - I'm only testing you.
2. Don't be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it, it makes me feel secure.
3. Don't let me form bad habits. I have to rely on you to detect them in the early stages.
4. Don't make me feel smaller than I am. It only makes me behave stupidly "big".
5. Don't correct me in front of people if you can help it. I will take much more notice if you talk quietly to me in private.
6. Don't make me feel that my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.
7. Don't protect me from consequences. I need to learn the painful way sometimes.
8. Don't be upset when I say, "I hate you". Sometimes it isn't you I hate but your power to thwart me.
9. Don't take too much notice of my small ailments. Sometimes they get me the attention I need.
10. Don't nag. If you do, I shall have to protect myself by appearing deaf.
11. Don't forget that I cannot explain myself as well as I should like. That is why I am not always accurate.
12. Don't put me off when I ask questions. If you do you will find that I'll stop asking and I'll seek my information elsewhere.
13. Don't be inconsistent. That completely confuses me and makes me loose faith in you.
14. Don't tell me my fears are silly. They are terribly real and you can do much to reassure me if you try to understand.
15. Don't ever suggest that you are perfect or infallible. It gives me too great a shock when I discover that you are neither.
16. Don't ever think that it is beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me surprisingly warm towards you.
17. Don't forget that I love experimenting. I couldn't get along without it, so please put up with it.
18. Don't forget how quickly I am growing up. It must be very difficult for you to keep pace with me but please do try.
19. Don't forget that I don't thrive without lots of love and understanding, but I don't need to tell you, do I?
20. Please keep yourself fit and healthy. I need you.
Everybody Knows: You can't be all things to all people. You can't do all things at once. You can't do all things equally well. You can't do all things better than everyone else. Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.
So: You have to find out who you are, and be that. You have to decide what comes first, and do that. You have to discover your strengths, and use them. You have to learn not to compete with others, Because no one else is in the contest of *being you*
Then: You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness. You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions. You will have learned to live with your limitations. You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due. And you'll be a most vital mortal.
Dare to Believe: That you are a wonderful, unique person. That you are a once-in-all-history event. That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are. That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish. And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.
~ author unknown ~
The lyrics to a song based on "Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen", by Mary Schmich:
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
Words of Encouragement
1. Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind.
2. You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future.
3. Love and you shall be loved.
4. God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.
5. All people smile in the same language.
6. A hug is a great gift. One size fits all. It can be given for any occasion, and it is easy to exchange.
7. Everyone needs to be loved, especially when they do not deserve it.
8. The real measure of a man's wealth is what he has invested in eternity.
9. Laughter is God's Sunshine.
10. Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.
11. It's important for parents to live the same things they teach.
12. Thank God for what you have, Trust GOD for what you need.
13. If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow, you have no today to be thankful for.
14. Happy memories never wear out. Relive them as often as you want.
15. Home is the place where we grumble the most, but are often treated the best.
16. Man looks at outward appearance but the Lord looks within.
17. The choice you make today will usually affect tomorrow.
18. If anyone speaks badly of you, live so no one will believe it.
19. Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.
20. Love is strengthened by working through conflicts together.
21. The best thing parents can do for their children is to love each other.
22. Harsh words break no bones, but they do break hearts.
23. To get out of a difficulty, one must usually go through it.
24. We should be giving Thanks for things we take for granted.
25. Love is the only thing that can be divided without being diminished.
26. Happiness is enhanced by others but does not depend upon others.
27. You are richer today if you have laughed, given or forgiven.
28. For every minute you are angry with someone, you lose 60 seconds of happiness that you can never get back.
29. Do what you can, for who you can, with what you have, and where you are.
30. The best gifts to give...
To your friend -- loyalty
To your enemy -- forgiveness
To your boss -- service
To a child -- a good example
To your parents -- gratitude and devotion
To your mate -- love and tolerance
To all men and women -- charity
To your God -- your life
Count Your Blessings
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace...you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare, even in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful...you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.
From my great grandmother Gertrude's scrapbook:
I am thankful for the dawn of day,
For useful work and buoyant play;
I am thankful for the faith of friends,
For humble heart that condescends;
I am thankful for the trees and flowers,
For sapphire seas and cooling showers;
I am thankful for the world of books,
For chanting birds and purling brooks;
I am thankful for the sun at noon,
For silent stars and crescent moon;
I am thankful for the gift of prayer,
For blessings I can freely share;
I am thankful for the right to live,
For daily chance to serve and give;
I am thankful most for God above,
For His protecting, perfect love.
Sunset Reverio
I think God gathers at the end of each day
The good things the world has done,
And then with inimitable colors reveals
Their worth in the setting sun.
There's a patch of blue for kind words said;
And gold for a cheerful smile
That helped some lonely burdened friend
Forget his grief for a while.
I see a royal purple gown
For humble toil well done,
Of the many lowly common tasks
That live beyond the sinking sun.
There's a crimson robe for bravery
Of someone suffering pain,
But who trusts in God for a happier hour
When life will be new again.
Yes, I think God gathers at the close of day
The good things the world has done,
And wraps each one in a blessing
That glows in the evening sun.
Virginia Howe