An Open Mind

TODAY'S QUOTE:
I believe in an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.
Arthur Hays Sulzberger

The posts I have been doing are much shorter than when I first began, and lately they have been late getting done. I was overwhelmed with issues concerning the site, but have solved most of them the best way I could. I am caught up with posts after this one then I can turn my attention to other issues in my path.
This part of the mix is important, because it is the spark that started the fire. What I do here is for you, but it is also for me. I know that to let go of the past you first have to understand it and to face the future with any confidence you have to be master of all your demons. Some things I am a pro at practicing, others a novice still, so I benefit as much as anyone else from the words written here.
I have been doing a lot of one-on-one assisting of people lately. I use that time wisely as possible, opening my mind in a special way to touch another soul with a comfort they can really feel. It seems the more I practice this art of healing the stronger it gets, and as of now I have suffered no brain loss from the exercise of comfort that I practice. The fact is, I come away from each new contact with better understanding of both myself and my fellow man.
I do not pretend to have all the answers and I am really not anyone special in stature or education. But I care and know how to listen soul deep. Sometimes that is just the right thing to do. Any words I say are soul inspired. I have this gift for a reason and it certainly is not for myself alone. Sharing it with others broadens its scope and makes my pain a vehicle of healing for everyone it touches.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Making Love

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.
Ursula K. LeGuin

The making and remaking of love is a never ending endeavor. Falling in love is like giving birth to a child. Two parents, both responsible for the health and happiness of a baby they create together. Neither parent is more important; if both do not do their fair share of tending chances are eventually they will have a sick kid.
Happily ever after is not a location that you just naturally reach when you fall in love. It exists, but the journey there is not guaranteed to be a smooth one. Obstacles exist and have to be dealt with. Demons attack and have to be vanquished. But by making love then remaking love, over and over on every level, you slant all the odds in favor of reaching where you are heading.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Two Eyes One Tongue

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Men are born with two eyes, but only one tongue, in order that they should see twice as much as they say.
Charles Caleb Colton (1780 - 1832)

If we kept our mouths closed and our eyes open, more often, the world would be a much nicer place. The better we see things, the saner we sound when we speak about them. There is nothing quite as mind numbing as listening to someone lecture on a subject they have never even studied.
Misunderstandings arise when too many voices chatter at once, with everyone talking nobody much is listening. And as unfair as it seems the same people act the listener role all the time. Those are the ones I listen closest to when they finally speak. Mr. Colton did not name the ears, but they are as important as any other special feature of a persons face.
Things would inprove, in the art of human communication, if people would listen twice as often as they speak, see twice as much as they say, and speak with intelligence when they finally open their mouth. When I see someone focusing ear and eye on something it makes me want to hear them speak. Words are like power tools that some just sling around, but never plug in.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

That Sucks

Today's Quote:
Living in a vacuum sucks.
Adrienne E. Gusoff US teacher, humorist and greeting card writer

Vacuum choices are endless, some suck us in, others we simply crawl into without encouragement. At times, in an effort to protect ourselves, we erect our own custom made prisons. But safety has a very steep price. Isolation, either emotional or physical, is a common symptom that threads its way through each, no matter if they are entered voluntarily or not.
Thresholds are built upon pain. Doorways constructed by negative. Getting trapped is a breeze, all it takes is total surrender. But getting free is much more difficult, since walking against the wind takes energy we do not always possess during a crisis. We get hijacked by circumstances then all too often seem satisfied to just be a well mannered hostage. Living in a vacuum sucks, for sure, especially since a life spent there contains no opportunity for growth.
I am mostly free from the things that held me captivated, but the pull is still at my back. I let it propel me forward, never will I be an easy victim again. The harder the suction the faster I will travel forward to escape its stunted space.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

The Trap Door

TODAY'S QUOTE:
If all the world's a stage, I want to operate the trap door.
Paul Beatty

This quote tickled my funny bone, but I do not really wish to be in charge of who drops off stage. I fear I would judge some guilty that were not and excuse others who should drop quickly. I know that I would be much too slow, between thought and action, to be affective in such a position. Being a judge would take more wisdom than I have and more balls than I ever want to possess.
Judging without facts is so unfair. And bare facts say very little of what is true soul deep. Acting out can give a very different impression than what is really going on, so while others had their hand on the switch poised to flip it, I would still be looking for the reasons behind bad behavior.
I doubt anyone among us is truly capable of holding that switch with a clear conscience. My plan is to remain non-judgemental and watch closely where I stand upon the stage. Maybe if I keep my ears tuned and my feet in the right place I will avoid that sudden drop that we all dread.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

The Good Life

TODAY'S QUOTE:
The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy - I mean that if you are happy you will be good.
Bertrand Russell English author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)

I am much better centered when I am happy, shadows left from the past are shrinking day by day. I continue to struggle to fit into the spot life has placed me, while I study the small orbit I inhabit and the larger one that encircles that. Some things are easily understood, others quite impossible to get a firm grip upon.
This poem was sent to me twice and I place it here with a statement and a question. I ache for all directly affected by the recent bombings. I fear this is the Earth's new reality, and wish with all my heart that it was not so. Does anyone know who the author of this is?? There was no name attached and I want to add it here if I can.

London Pride

You come to place your bags of hate

On bus and train, you made us late

Yet we'll be back again tomorrow

We'll carry on despite our sorrow

Your bags of hate caused some to die

Yet we stride out strong with heads held high

You'll never win, we will not bow.

You can't defeat us, you don't know how.

This London which we love with pride

Is a town where scum like you can't hide

Don't worry we will hunt you down.

Then Lock you up in name of the Crown.

We're London and we're many races,

Just look you'll see our stoic faces.

We all condemn your heinous act

You will not win and that's a fact.

We'll mourn our dead and shed a tear,

But we will not bow to acts of fear.

You're out there somewhere all alone,

There's nowhere now you can call home.

Olympics ours, we've won the race.

Your timing then, a real disgrace.

Our strength you'll find remains unbowed.

We're London and we're very proud.

Scraps

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Love cannot survive if you just give it scraps of yourself, scraps of your time, scraps of your thoughts.
Mary O'Hara

Scraps are leftovers. Crazy quilts are constructed of scraps of fabric not large enough for other uses. Meals made of leftovers lack the flavor and freshness of just cooked items, even the texture changes with reheatings. Fast and easy attention works for some things, but guarantees disaster for others.
Love is a gift we give to one another. Rewrapping the same item over and over with little thought or effort will not satisfy the one gifted for long, no matter how big of a bow you slap on it. Make crazy quilts, eat fast and easy from time to time, but do not limit what you give to love, or it will limit what it returns until it disappears altogether.
Grasp even the smallest moments and make them large with action. Grant your undivided attention to love while you have it. Love can be snatched from your grasp in a heartbeat. And it just seems foolish to feed with scraps something so very magical.....as love.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

A Second Self

TODAY'S QUOTE:
A friend is, as it were, a second self.
Cicero, De Amicitia Roman author, orator, & politician (106 BC - 43 BC)

My best friend finishes my sentences, reads my mind, grants my wishes, and enriches my life. There are no words expressive enough to describe the bond we share. If you have a friend that is like an extension of self then cherish them, and online or off be willing to circle the wagons when necessary.
A friend can make all the difference while walking wounded, not as a crutch to carry all your weight, but a support to encourage stronger stepping. Gentle prodding comes from the friends who really care, mere acquaintance's rarely expend the effort needed to convince you to do the right thing, they simply set back and watch you perform.
A wonderful friend sent me the email that follows. It said at the bottom to send it to all the people you care about and so I am doing it here in this quiet place.

THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND COFFEE

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...And the coffee.

A professor stood before his Philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
"The golf balls are the important things - your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.
"The sand is everything else-the small stuff."
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls."
"The same goes for life."
"If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."
"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness."
"Play with children."
"Take time to get medical checkups."
"Take your partner out to dinner."
"Play another 18."
"There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."
"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter."
"Set your priorities.
"The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled.
"I'm glad you asked."
"It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Your Ship

TODAY'S QUOTE:
If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it!
Jonathan Winters

Waiting and watching for opportunity is a fools pastime, without action things will be just the same tomorrow as they were yesterday. When an obstacle appears in the road ahead, sitting down and waiting for it to move is about stupidest thing a human can do. But I used to do just that, twenty years of waiting simply wasted twenty years of my life.
I learned many important things while I sat there waiting for the mountain to move, things I say here to all who read and things I say to myself as I compose these posts. I got enraged enough finally to stomp across what barred my way or I might still be sitting in its shadow looking like a goof.
My boat is just a small craft and I am still learning the best way to row to avoid traveling in endless circles. I crawled across hot sand to even get my feet wet and the swim took me through some rough water that tried to pull me under. But from the safety of this craft I can propel myself forward at a speed that is set by me and there is such a special joy to being at the helm.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Ironic Truth

TODAY'S QUOTE:
To err is dysfunctional, to forgive co-dependent.
Berton Averre

The hilarity of this ironic truth gave me a smile so wide my jaws ached. For a long moment in time my errs seemed not as earth shattering and my forgiveness less self righteous. Life has its ironies and this is certainly one of them. I just adore the things that make me go hmmmmmmm.
I have been and still am, on many levels, dysfunctional and co-dependent. But daily I try to improve my lot by word if I possess the wisdom, and deed if I can gather the strength. I do my best, yet often that falls miles short of the intended target. My only hope is that my aim will improve with practice, so before the race is done I will possess enough strength to sail across the finish line and end up at the location of my own choosing.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Unfolding Of Self

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Time does not change us. It just unfolds us.
Max Frisch

The unfolding of self is a process that often demands growing pains. Stretching of your soul space and broadening of your mind is certainly not a pain free journey. But we should be happy to outgrow what does not fit in comfort anymore.
Not many of us would be content to live forever as a child in body and mind. And clothes three sizes too small give little protection from the elements. Growth demands change. Change demands contemplation. Contemplation demands action. And action demands space.
The space you fill and what you fill it with matters. Each day we make important choices, whether we realize it or not. Some simply opt to blindly follow the person directly ahead of them. Others choose to wander off alone. Some plod along, others tiptoe, but the brave hearted see their path and struggle to fit into it.
I seek a sunny place to do my unfolding, as free as possible from the shadows of the past. Because I learned long ago that it is impossible to stretch out in comfort in a place crowded with the baggage of yesterday.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Feeling Without Apology

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for truth.
Benjamin Disraeli British politician (1804 - 1881)

What is felt by each human is valid. Your emotions are just as important as anyone else's, no matter what anyone says to the contrary. Sometimes if we know our feelings will wound others in some way it is all too easy to feel guilt for feeling how we cannot help but feel.
But showing your feelings frees you in ways nothing else ever will. By validation you get to know yourself and own the space you live in. There is nothing shameful about showing how you really feel. The shame comes from denying your emotions and living half a life or accepting others spin on things as your own and forcing yourself to live a lie.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

CLICK ON TITLE TO GO TO MY NEW WEBSITE

I CANT LOAD PAGES FOR THE PUBLIC ON OURJOURNEYSEND

SO I BOUGHT NEW SPACE SO I CAN WORK ON THIS DREAM

WITHOUT WAITING FOR OUTSIDE HELP

Be Countable

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost.
Thomas J. Watson

The ordinary person has so much more power than most ever really tap into, taking the time to study and understand any issue worth being passionate about takes attention to detail that demands time some never utilize. I know in my own life there were years I lived through when all I did was struggle to survive without thought to any weighty issue outside of keeping a roof overhead.
My mind is crowded now in ways it never was then. I contemplate world issues, struggling to understand the things going on all around me on an ever changing, ever shrinking earth. I ponder the way we use and abuse one another. I am not a sheep simply willing to walk where led, because I have brains enough to understand that sheep get taken to pasture sometimes, but they also get led to slaughter.
I worry about all the bullied in the world, people made victim by no fault of their own and in my small way I struggle to find a way to assist. I cannot stop war or abuse, but I can in some fashion make it easier for a sheep to find the way back to self by pointing the way to safety. I can and do say your not alone. I remind women that they do not have to believe what an abuser teaches them about who they are. I remind myself too that the past does not have to mirror the future, unless its allowed control.
The cost is unimportant to me, nothing can take more than the years I gave, or the friend I lost to sheep walking. To try is to risk failure, but to be silent is to guarantee defeat. On this one thing I am willing to risk all without thought of any gain for myself except the joy of seeing even one life redirected away from slaughter. Find something to believe in then give it some attention. Seeing the bigger picture demands some involvement in it.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Commanding Excellence

TODAY'S QUOTE:
None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone.
Ralph Waldo Emerson US essayist & poet (1803 - 1882)

I believe in that whisper, because I hear it so loudly. Sometimes it is overwhelming in its clarity, demanding action, begging the comfort of loving attention. Soul whispers are almost sacred in their purity, and each of us hears them in some form or another. They are precious and as beautiful as angel song, but repeated over and over even the best of music becomes tiresome if you cannot sing along.
I try to do a duet whenever possible. Nothing seems quite as natural as the blending of your voice with the melody of your soul. Life and all its agony is tranformed in a breaths time when you are doing the things you were born to do. Excellent things, commanding things, born in a whisper then given to the world with a joyful heart.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Beginning Today

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster. Your life will never be the same again.
Og Mandino, The Greatest Miracle in the World

Wow! What a concept too aspire to. I have not even come close this week. But I will try to keep this quote in mind in hopes that things will improve if I attempt to emulate its gentle message. Being kinder to my fellow man seems a very civilized undertaking.
I try to be kind, but some people seem to only understand or respond to negatives and those sorts of humans can get you upended in no time, no matter your good intentions. My brain tells me clearly not to feed the animals, yet at times I am guilty of serving up a feast. I get no satisfaction; agitation is not a state I enjoy, and the very notion that they might be getting a charge out of it only adds to my agony.
So either I have to ignore the urge, or avoid the people that make demands upon negatives I do not wish to possess. Silence is a much better course of action and has the benefit of bothering someone who is demanding a fight. But when I can place that quote firmly in mind I will smile and say good day before I move on to more deserving pastimes. And using that quote will be easy on all I love, since I mostly treat them that way already. A reminder will simply reinforce what is already in place, and we can all use reinforcing from time to time.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

A Better Way To Be Happy

TODAY'S QUOTE:
It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust.
Samuel Johnson English author, critic, & lexicographer (1709 - 1784)

The thing I dread most is inflicting pain upon others, although I am sure my children would argue that from time to time I seem to enjoy it very much. In the past I often wounded myself in order to avoid hurting anyone else, or broke something cherished as punishment for pain I caused someone I loved. Now I do not feel driven to the same behavior, but it still rips me apart if I wound and I still do all I can to avoid it. I hope that never changes.
Trust may be a much harder nut to crack, because the past has left a shadow I am struggling to shine the light of reason upon. I trust things people say, my problem begins with gathering together enough trust to really let someone completely into my space. Coming to terms with this unexpected issue is something I will work to adjust to, and I doubt very much that I will ever again entertain the notion that I am completely together. But even fractured and aching with growing pains is much better than the time in my life when I felt nothing except agony.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Truth

TODAY'S QUOTE:
The truth is rarely pure and never simple.
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895, Act I Irish dramatist, novelist, & poet (1854 - 1900)

The telling of truths should always be done with a healthy balance between fact and mercy. Even the hardest truths lose most of their ache when gently expressed. Some hard truths are nobody's fault, yet can wound both the speaker and the listener. And nothing is ever quite as simple as it seems, black or white, right or wrong; the truth is a very complicated taskmaster.
The most difficult things to master are the hard truths you tell yourself, because once heard they are never quite forgotten. It often takes time to admit their validity, so they naturally continue to pester the brain periodically. And the longer you fight against admitting something, the longer you prolong the agony, yet we all wobble along doing just that much too often. Human nature is such a predictable condition to suffer from, but it can be trained to manageable levels with lots of practice.
The truth is not an enemy. It is not meant to be a weapon, using it in that fashion causes unnecessary internal damage that can last a lifetime. Truth is meant to foster greater understanding of self and of others. Not pure, never simple, yet always liberating when handled with care.

THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE

Discovered Wisdom

TODAY'S QUOTE:
We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.
Marcel Proust French novelist (1871 - 1922)

All the real wisdom I possess was earned by brutal lessons. I understand pain, because I have suffered it in so many varieties. But I grew stronger with each separate wave of agony overcome, which opened my consciousness to the suffering of other hearts and minds. I recognize it in eyes I meet. I hear it tremble voices and see it in words typed on a stark screen. I absorb it like a sponge, sharing pain to ease the ache when it touches my space.
There is much I do not know, and more that I know, but wrestle with practicing. Old habits die slowly sometimes, yet each day I travel some steps forward on my journey, letting things I learn internally lead my footsteps as often as possible.
I cannot walk on water, but I am capable of fire treading when necessary. I do not get across the flames unharmed, often getting burned bone-deep by the time I reach safety. The licking wounds exercise that follows always contains long solitary thoughts which search bravely for even a hint of new found wisdom to make the journey easier. When I find the lesson scar tissue forms on wounds suffered during battle. Wisdom earned then shared makes a solitary journey much less lonely. And letting go of familiar agony leaves room for unexpected joy. The past, no matter how painful, can earn enough wisdom to capture a future well worth the trip there.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Hard Work

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all.
Sam Ewing

A perfect world would assign each person the passion of their heart to work toward then reward each with a living sufficient to their needs. Toil for a purpose is not at all like work, feeling much more like honor than duty. To get paid for what you would do for free is a true measure of a joyful job.
Hard work is not an enemy. I have learned many valuable lessons about myself by the endless hours I have spent pursuing a dream that at times only I could see. I am far from done with the hard work that seems like my souls breath, and I will give it my all, without reservation or thought to what it will earn me.
When life demands of me that I do something else to afford the luxury of continuing with this endeavor I will roll up my sleeves and do what needs to be done. To be able to do what my heart desires I will do as the world demands and work for its good in any way necessary. Seen from that angle hard work is a privilege.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Enjoy Who You Be

TODAY'S QUOTE:
You can either hold yourself up to the unrealistic standards of others, or ignore them and concentrate on being happy with yourself as you are.
J. Jacques

The struggle to be whom ever someone else wishes you were is a futile battle with no possible winners. I tried for years to earn love by turning inside out, fashioning myself into whatever shape demanded and it just never earned me anything but grief. And it has left a shadow that surfaces from time to time, blocking out the perfect light of the future with a fog cast from many yesterdays.
The fact that I will never be satisfied to stand forever where my feet are resting today requires constant change. Issues sometimes reappear, dressed in unfamiliar clothes, a horse of a different color, but a horse all the same. I have finally admitted to myself that this struggle will continue to demand revaluation and remodeling of internal space.
Sometimes I wish I could go back to simply nose down, not thinking actions that numb the brain. Plodding along is so much safer. But I know this path is where I belong and it is not a possibility to end my journey here. So I fight demons and try to bring light to places over shadowed by the past.
I am nothing special, no better than some and much worse than others. I am simply a walking wounded woman who hated who I was, dedicated to enjoying who I be, on any given day, while struggling along the way to whoever I am destined to become.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Kindness Treasured

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness.
George Sand French author (1804 - 1876)

The gentleness of a human soul is a resource that often goes untapped nowadays. We sometimes ignore it in others and forget it in ourselves in the mighty struggle to just get by. We rush through everything at hyper speed, overlooking treasures right before our eyes. And internal treasures can be quickly hidden behind the issues life and love pile upon us. But it is our saving grace.
Kindness unites all humans, it gives the benefit of the doubt when needed. Compassion forgives without charging a fee. Empathy inspires understanding of the soul deep variety. And it simply all begins with a bit of kindness.
Johann Goethe called kindness "The golden chain by which society is bound together" and I think that just about says it all. Be kind to one another, but first of all be kind to yourself. Guard well the treasures inside and they will protect you in troubled times.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

What's The Use, If There's No Need?

TODAY'S QUOTE:
If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?
Shantideva

The simple brilliance of this quote makes total sense of simply letting worry be an investment you never buy into. I have faced many obstacles in my lifetime, but I can say with certainty that I never worried a problem away. In fact worry only adds weight to the burden already carried.
Worry sucks the life out of us, it weakens and drains. Some things have solutions, others do not. If you can fix it do so, if you cannot let it go. Simple answers often hide under needless worry; overcoming things is downright impossible when you are overcome with useless bouts of fretting. Why make it harder than it has to be to find a way out of a hard spot?
Complex issues are hard enough to wrap your brain around without allowing fear to take up the space needed for thoughts that might lead you to a solution. Next time worry tries to steal the show, firmly show it the door. There is just no better time to take control than when problems are nipping at your heals. And kicking worry to the curb has the added benefit of getting your legs working when fear has you frozen solidly in place.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

What We Make

TODAY'S QUOTE:
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.
Sir Winston Churchill British politician (1874 - 1965)

The making of a life is a sacred journey. It demands fire walking, dream catching, and demon wrestling, but the battle is well worth any agony to achieve the prize of a life worth the living. Trusting in yourself is vital to the formula, and may be the hardest thing that you are called upon to do.
I reshape and reevaluate myself constantly in a effort to more perfectly fit the dimensions a real life demands. Sometimes it is a mighty struggle to rid yourself of old habits that no longer fit the pattern, because what is comfortable and familiar is not easily abandoned to the unknown.
Human nature is the child, sometimes it gets its way. But I do not have ample time to let it rule every waking moment. The time I give here is well spent. All the building blocks used in the building of a life should be hand picked and this one certainly was. The emotion I invest here eases the ache inside me as I struggle on, and I hope gives others some comfort as well.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Making A Difference

TODAY'S QUOTE:
There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone's life.
Sister Mary Rose McGeady

I have experienced the intense rush of joy that comes from easing someone else's agony. There is simply no feeling quite like it. Earth would be a paradise if people would try to change the world, gently one person at a time. Positive change that goes soul deep does not happen by negative means.
This morning I wished I could erase the pain of a whole nation as I watched another example of just how brutal humans can be toward one another. And it is always the innocent ordinary folks, just going about the business of living, who suffer the most. And it has been that way through out recorded history.
The earth is huge and tiny all at once now days. Our focus should be on the similarities we share, but it is all too often our differences that get all the attention. The chance to do good is so much greater now, but opportunities for evil have increased in equal measure My heart goes out to England and my prayers too.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Imagination Creations

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.
George Bernard Shaw Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)

The mind is fertile ground for imaginings of all kinds. Hooking your passion begins in this hallowed soil. A hearts desire become reality through the simple process of seeing it internally, then giving it life. Any obstacle can be overcome with enough determination to get past it. The will to create a better tomorrow can get you safely out of even the worst today.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Mind Stretching

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.
Oliver Wendell Holmes US author & physician (1809 - 1894)

This I know all too well. Ideas come in all different shapes and sizes, each demanding space for expansion. One can spawn another until a single grain of thought becomes an entire beach of imaginings. The best ideas father many children, who if tended with care grow strong enough to stand alone.
Anything that makes us think about things in a deeper fashion has a broadening effect upon the brain. Every journey begins with one single step, and every altered reality begins with one single idea. Some ideas are so intense that no matter how hard you try to abandon them they follow and demand attention. I just love ideas that will not be denied.
They expand in such an effortless fashion. No struggle is needed to get a good idea to grow, but the strength it takes to stifle it is exhausting and wasted effort anyway. Letting it have its fair space is a no-brainer, since if you send it packing today it will only return with a vengeance tomorrow.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

Remembered Endurance

TODAY'S QUOTE:
Even his griefs are a joy long after to one that remembers all that he wrought and endured.
Homer, The Odyssey Greek epic poet (800 BC - 700 BC)

This is a perfect quote for a day of remember griefs. I dreaded its coming, but its reality was much better than I dared hope. The shadowed of a brutal time 2 years in the past was there, yet it did not spoil the day, it made me more thoughtful of how far I have traveled from that time and how thankful I am that I was equal to the task when my husband needed someone to walk with him to the edge of his final independence and let him go without regret for things left undone.

I miss you Jerry!

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Real Distinction

TODAY'S QUOTE:
The real distinction is between those who adapt their purposes to reality and those who seek to mold reality in the light of their purposes.
Henry KissingerUS (German-born) diplomat & scholar (1923 - )

This quote makes me think long thoughts about my purpose and its place in reality. I am a warrior at adapting to reality, but a dream brought to life with a pure purpose constructs a reality all of its own. My site is a perfect example of that concept.
What was envisioned at first was much different from what is clear in my minds eye now. I began with one reality and once in place the site changed its purpose to a broader scope. That placed much more responsibility upon me to let it grow in the direction it so loudly proclaim it must. Right in mid stride, when I saw its needs changing I lost the power to get things done.
One man walking away, because of lack of time to give to the project, did not change the fierce need it has to change and grow. Wasting time crying about losing two hands who could have made it all easy will not do anything positive about giving breath to a project that is struggling for space to breathe. And frankly nothing in my life has ever been effortless, except writing, so I am used to struggling for what matters to me.
And Our Journey's End matters as much to me as life itself, not for my sake, not for fame or fortune, but because the dream shines so bright it demands all attention. Feeling as I do that to abandon it will mean that I will be abandoning untold numbers to danger of a living death or worse goes against everything precious to me. Encouraging others to claim their three feet of personal space, and escape a possible six feet of underground space is reward enough all in itself. As soon as I catch up with posts left undone this past week I will draft a letter that may be a solution. All who read here pray that I find the right words and they reach the right ears so that a worthy purpose can become a rock solid reality.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

The Art Of Battle

TODAY'S QUOTE:
All married couples should learn the art of battle as they should learn the art of making love. Good battle is objective and honest - never vicious or cruel. Good battle is healthy and constructive, and brings to a marriage the principle of equal partnership. Ann Landers US advice columnist (1918 - 2002)

The art of battle is something I learned long ago then taught to my husband. He was a dirty fighter before the lessons, but an apt student who really tried to stop resorting to evil words and deeds to get his way. If he could learn then anyone is teachable if they only have the desire.
Insults and force lay waste to the battlefield. They gain ground maybe, yet making a victim of someone you love steals some of the space owned in their heart. Enough bloodbaths and its possible you will own nothing of any value. Standing in a wasteland alone is not a winner glory. It is a fools paradise.
The urge to return ill treatment with equal force can make a real mess of things. If someone is shooting you with an elephant gun and you are only armed with a butter knife it is all too easy to pull a cannon forward and try to silence them forevermore. But again to what aim is such behavior directed? Too destroy an enemy? Round and round it goes and nobody wins in the end.
Arguments do not have to be loud and ugly. You certainly will not be more right if you are simply the loudest. Discussions are opportunities to forge understanding, not times to force feed your opinion down a loved ones throat. Approach gently a friend and they will hear you much better than if they are treated like an enemy and forced by you to become one.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE

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(TOO TRUE, TOO OFTEN)

Don't Hesitate

TODAY'S QUOTE:
While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.
Henry C. Link

Looking at the quotes chosen for this time, now so long after they were handpicked just makes me go hmmmmmmmmmm. I know a higher force helped me with the choosing, not to encourage others so much as to push me forward toward success. What is done here is not done to profit me, it is done to save lives and ease agonies not my own.
The worth of just one life changed is priceless. The image of countless chances to make a real positive difference spurs me forward, past my fear, past my confusion, and past any doubt of failure as a possible ending to this tale. All hesitation is over, last week was just another bump in the road and ahead of me shines a bright light that I will follow to where ever it leads. I hope to see you there.

THINK ABOUT IT

LET IT GROW

THEN DECIDE