...about being human.
"I can either enjoy my life or try to control it."
"Unconditional love is the most precious gift that I have. The blessings of that gift occur whether I give it or receive it and this has been so every day of my life."
"Truth, like light, becomes what it touches."
"This is the character of truth: it is of all time, it is for all men, it has only to show itself to be recognized, and one cannot argue against it. A long dispute means that both parties are wrong."
"What is the point of life? To grow spiritually. By solving one's personal problems with discipline, man is allowed the opportunity to transcend his problems so that he may be free in his discovery."
"Discipline - the delaying of gratification, the acceptance of responsibility, the personal dedication to truth, and the mastery of balancing - is how a human being is made capable of performing the noble act of legitimate suffering. The willingness to pick up these tools and confront ones problems is by every defininition - love."
"Life is difficult. Once we truly understand and accept it, it isn't anymore. Through acceptance, it no longer matters."
"Problems call forth our courage and wisdom; indeed they create our courage and wisdom."
"Those things that hurt, instruct. Therefore, spiritual growth is an inherently painful process."
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
"Only as a warrior can one survive the path of knowlege. Because the art of a warrior is to balance the terror of being a man with the wonder of being a man."
"You are the right man for the job."
"As a body, each of us, is alone. As a soul, never."
"The single most important decision that I have ever made was to finally ask God for His help. When I did it, I did not believe that God existed. Today, I know that He does."
"...the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of the living God” because He makes God a living reality in our personal experience instead of a mere intellectual concept. There are many who believe in God, and who are perfectly orthodox in their conception of God, but after all God is to them only an intellectual theological proposition. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to make God something vastly more than a theological notion, no matter how orthodox; He is the Spirit of the living God, and it is His work to make God a living God to us, a Being whom we know, with whom we have personal acquaintance, a Being more real to us than the most intimate human friend we have."
“Footwork is my business today. My role at home is to be a caretaker – a source of unconditional love. My job there is to minimize fear and discover more about those who I’ve been blessed to be married to and those that I have become a father to. The way that I shall do that job is to accept them as they are, love them as best I can, see life as it is, and joyfully witness the way my family expresses themselves in their own lives. If I do my job well, I will do so without judgment and I will enjoy the abundance a lifestyle of spontaneity affords me. Faith, forgiveness, tolerance, and gratitude are my weapons when I find myself overwhelmed or self-centered. My higher power, my own personal God, will be the power that fuels my work and my works only critic. I care not about the results and I will be free in my discovery of the present moment.”
...about the good life.
1. When you wake up in the morning, say “Good morning God!” and while you’re getting ready for your day try and fill in the blank of the following statement – “God's will for me today is __________.” (Remember that “You’re in the footwork business and not the results business. The results are His.”
2. To find direction, ask God to reveal His will for you today and sit in silence until it comes. When it does, surrender to the message fully and get to work on it immediately. The next obvious step is how to keep it going. Buy a lock if you have to or do it in the car if all else fails.
3. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. While you walk, smile and breathe deeply. It’s the ultimate anti-depressant.
4. On the way out the door in the morning, think to yourself, “Judge less. Love more.”
5. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
6. Drink more water and figure out how to eat more blueberries, salmon, broccoli, almonds and walnuts. If these foods aren’t already in your fridge, put them on your shopping list for next time.
7. Try to make 3 people smile today and don't "over do" things. When you're hungry, eat. When you're tired, stop. When you feel overwhelmed, take a break.
8. Don’t waste energy on energy vampires - issues of the past, worries for the future, things you know are out of your control, or negative thoughts. Instead, invest energy in the present moment and give it your all.
9. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out card! Vacation the same way.
10. Remember that life isn’t fair and that you don’t always get what you want but that you’ve always gotten what you needed. Why should today be any different?
11. Life is too short to waste a second of it hating someone. This includes your self.
12. Don’t take your self so seriously. No one else does!
13. Remember that you lost the privlege of getting angry and that resentments will kill you if you harbor them long enough. You don’t have to "win" arguments, you need to "avoid" them. Agree to disagree on things and move on. Grudges hurt you more than they hurt the other guy.
14. Make peace with the past now so you don’t spoil the future. If you were wrong, admit it and make it right if possible.
15. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
16. “Happiness” is a waste of time to think about because you already own that attitude. You want happiness? Have some fun!
17. Frame every personal disaster with the words “In 5 years, will this matter?”
18. You have no choice but to forgive. There is no other solution. So do it! This includes your self.
19. What others think of you is none of your business.
20. “Share” it. Don’t “tell” it.
21. No matter what, it will change. You can count on it!
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have everything you need. Spend time figuring out how to use what you’ve got!
23. Before you go to bed at night, think of what you can be thankful for today and what you accomplished. You’ll be amazed at what you got done and how good it really was!
24. Try to help somebody every chance you get. Just being “willing to” will help. Most importantly, be courageous and ask for help when you need it! None of us can do it alone and the good news is that you don't have too.
25. If you get stuck, take yourself on a 10 second vacation and think to your self, “Help me God. Your will be done. Not mine.”
26. If all else fails, and you've already gotten upset, go ahead and (cry if you want to) breathe. Just breathe and think to yourself, "Breathe in God. Breathe out anger. Breathe in God. Breathe out fear. Breath in God. Breathe out bad." In a few puffs, you'll feel better! I promise.
27. Quit being such a "Why Guy". When you define things, you have to defend your definitions and that my friend is how they end up owning you! If you find yourself asking "Why?" just laugh at yourself and move on. If it's something really important and it really does need some definition, find help. Who the heck are you anyway trying to define it for everybody? Do you have a PhD in whatever? Acceptance is how you get to see things for what they really are and most of the time they really aren't any of your business anyway.
...about "thank you" notes.
Ain't life grand!
Echoes of laughter
Intoxicating and magnetic
Across time - continuous
4 th of July fireworks
The “Finally”
Jumping in puddles
The squish of a sopping sock
Rolling down a hill exuberance
Out of control (but always in touch)
Fingers stroking through wisps on a forehead
Exquisite - Forever
Like telling a story
To someone who wants to hear
Like a squirrel eating peanut butter
Right from the palms of our hands
Like summer popsicles
Melting & Sticky
Without Worry
We're sitting outside!
You, Grandma, are the reason I send “Thank You” notes!
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