I Believe

"I believe in the sun even if it isn't shining. I believe in love even when I am alone. I believe in God even when He is silent."

This quote was in an email I received today and I thought it was worth sharing.   The picture that came with the quote was of a statue in Iraq showing one of our soldiers mourning the loss of his comrades.  Let's remember, and pray for, our brave soldiers today as they fight for freedom.  It doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat or whether or not you support the war, the soldiers still need your prayers & your support.

To Dare or Not To Dare

"The dare is to lose one's footing momentarily.  To not dare, is to lose oneself." Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), Denmark

I'm not saying that it's necessary that you climb the Grand Teton.  What I am saying, however, is that sometimes you have to move out of your comfort zone and take a risk.  That risk may be a new job, the purchase of a new home or investment or, perhaps, just to stand up in front of people and give a speech.  Change & taking risks can be scary, but just like in this picture of The Grand,  reaching out and taking risks, can bring new light and unexpected pleasures.  I think we constantly have to analyze what we're doing to determine if we're growing, and expanding our horizons, or just staying where we're comfortable.  Comfort's great, but learning and doing new things can add new joy to our lives.  So, take a look at your life and see if you're happy with where you are.  If you're not you, and only you, have the opportunity to change it.

Meditation

"Meditation is a time of quiet when the mind is free from its attachment to the hysterical ravings of a world gone mad.  It is a silence in which the spirit of God can enter us and work His divine alchemy upon us."  Marianne Williamson

Retirement

Living in retirement beyond the world,
Silently enjoying isolation.
I pull the rope of my door tighter
And stuff my windows with roots and ferns.
My spirit is tuned to the spring-season:
At the fall of the year there is autumn in my heart.
Thus imitating cosmic changes.
My cottage becomes a universe.

Lu Yun (265-303), China

I Hope You Dance Because

I Hope You Dance Because

Time.

Time is a wheel.

Time is a wheel in constant motion

always rolling us along.

Tell me, who wants to look back on

their years and wonder . . .

where their years have gone.

This is from the little book I Hope You Dance by Mark D. Sanders & Tia Sillers

I think we all look back at our lives and wonder where the years have gone. They go by so quickly. I guess, what is important, though, is to look back at them and realize that they meant something, that we have contributed something to this world and to humanity, that we didn't waste them.