Chapter 10, Page 22, Book 18

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

Proverb

I heard one of my sons passing on this advice to one of his children the other day.  He smiled at me because he knew this was a something I’d said to him when he was a child.  I got that piece of wise advice from my own mother years and years ago.

It’s not easy to keep your mouth shut when you are hurt or angry,  but believe me it beats saying something you wish you’d never said in the first place.  Don’t get into the nitty gritty, just let it go.

The kindest word in all the world is the unkind word, unsaid.

Author Unknown

Words are powerful.  We can use them to encourage, to help, to heal or to hurt, harm or humiliate.  Choose them well.  

Sticks and stones will break our bones, but words will brake our hearts.

Robert Fulghum

Chapter 10, Page 21, Book 18

Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough 

Emily Dickinson

Life is too short to be anything but happy

Happiness is inward, and not outward; and so it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are.

Henry Van Dyke

Happiness is a gift for the taking.  It doesn’t matter what things you have in life, what matters is the state in which your mind is set and thoughts you focus on. I truly believe happiness is an inside job.  

You cannot go out looking for happiness, buy it or borrow it.  Happiness is a result of your attitude towards life.  The only way I know to keep it alive is by recognizing that life is a gift and we must by thankful and enjoy it to the fullest.

Whoever is happy will make others happy too.

Mark Twain

 

Happiness is contagious, spreading among friends, neighbors, siblings and spouses like the flu.  Let’s all get infected.  We don’t always realize it, but our moods have a powerful effect on everyone around us.   When you are happy and show it, you spread happinesss around and it radiates out to others.

We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.

Frederick Keonig

The best way to way to honor and appreciate your life is to be happy with your life.  When we appreciate what we have and give thanks for it, we find out just how much we truly have.  

Joy is not in things; it is in us.

Richard Wagner

Chapter 10, Page 20, Book 18

 Where there’s a will, There’s a way.

Proverb

WILL power...

Attitude precedes behavior, Attitude is tomorrow’s behavior.

Frederick Newell

Willpower sure sounds like a great thing.  Willpower is your best friend when things go well, but it’s the first thing to check out when you get weary.

When we really don’t want to do something, our minds give us plenty of reasons why we don’t have to.   However willpower and discipline are necessary in order to lead a successful life.  Determination gets you started  and keeps you going for awhile, but it is never enough to bring you across the finish line.

If you are determined enough, you can find a way to achieve what you want.  However, sometimes we don’t have the will and sometimes we lose our way.  I like to think that no matter what the problem is, there is always  a way to get out of it.  There is always a way to make life better.

Willpower is like a muscle and it gets stronger with regular use.  If we think we can, the we can do it.    I don’t have a lot of willpower when it comes to eating, but then I like food and enjoy what I eat.  I do have some when it it comes to getting things done.  I won’t quit until I’ve accomplished my goal.  In the end, you have to want to do what you do.

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.

Thomas Jefferson.

Chapter 10, Page 19, Book 18

All the statistics in the world can’t measure the warmth of a smile

Chris Hart

Keeping warm and cozy...

There is something in a simple hug

That always warms the heart,

It welcomes us back home

And make it easier to part…

Johnny Ray Ryder, Jr.

The days are growing chilly here in northern Ohio, but I wanted you all to know, I’m keeping warm and cozy.  There is warmth in the clothing I wear, there is warmth coming from the furnace, there is warmth in a good hot bowl of soup.  

Even though the days are shorter and colder I also find warmth in a lot of other things too.  

Hugs and smiles aways warm my heart and good friends are always warm and welcoming.  

Good friends are like quilts  - they age with you but never lose their warmth

Author Unknown

Some say it is a cold world we live in, but I’m thinking that if we take the time to share some smiles and hugs it could be a lot warmer.  

I’m cozy and comfortable right now and am thankful for it.  Just like the rays of sunshine warm us up a cold day, I have friends that warm me with their loving kindness too.  

There are warm words for a cold day too.  Just like a cup of hot cocoa topped with melty marshmallows, some words have the power to make us feel comfy and cozy too.

The conciouness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.

Oscar Wilde

Chapter 10, Page 18, Book 18

HOPE… is the companion of power, and the mother of success; for who so hopes has within him the gift of miracles.

Samuel Smiles

¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪ I have high hopes¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

No matter how difficult life can be the most important thing is to live it with hope.

Anonymous

Hope lives when we keep some room in the heart for what we don’t know and can’t yet perceive. Hope is a feeling of trust, a security, and a reason to keep going.  In this day and age, we need to remind ourselves that there is hope out there.  

When circumstances get dark or difficult the only thing to keep you going is hope. Hope encourages us to look forward confidently.  I have hope in what can be.  I live with joyful expectations.  Every day may not be a good one, but there is something good to be found in every day when we take the time to look for it.

Remember: 

Hope is knowing that a positive outcome awaits.

Hope is not only expecting a dream to come true, but having a deep assurance that it’s within your reach.

Hope is saying you can.

Hope is knowing that you can improve and that you always get better with practice.

Hope is something that never abandons you.  Even when life is filled with sadness and disappointment, a spark remains inside to help you get through the rough times.

Hope is one of God’s greatest gifts, because it is the magic that inspires you to keep trying, learning, loving and living.

You’ve gotta have hope.  Without hope life is meaningless.  Without hope life is meaning less and less.

Author Unknown

Chapter 10, Page 17, Book 18

Courage doesn’t always roar.  Sometimes, courage is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying 'I will try again tomorrow.’

Mary Anne Radmacher

be courageous…

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?

Vincent Van Gogh

There are things we try to do, but fall short  but we don’t give up. Each day we start fresh and try again.

Even though we don’t consider ourselves brave people, the truth is that all of us demonstrate a little courage every day in ways we don’t even realize.  

We deal with a lot of varieties of obstacles as part of our daily lives.  Every time we are challenged, we show courage.  It takes courage to follow our dreams.

There are things in life that we don’t necessarily like to do, but we take courage and do them anyway.  We don’t give up or give in, we try again.

You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.

Oprah Winfrey

Chapter 10, Page 16, Book 18

Life is one long lesson in humility.

James M. Barrie

Aways be humble and kind

Talent is God given.  Be humble.  Fame is man given. Be grateful.  Conceit is self given. Be careful.

John Wooden

One of my favorite sayings is that it is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice.  We can’t let our pride of what we have or do overtake the time we might spend being nice.  To be humble is to consider that others are more important than ourselves.  

If we treat others with kindness and respect, the way we wanted to be treated, or maybe even a little better, many of the world’s problems would be solved.

It is very difficult for the prosperous to be humble.

Jane Austen

 I consider my self a very humble person.  Believe me when I say that if, at any time in my life, I’ve thought I’d done something really good on my own, the good Lord has made sure I knew exactly where my place is… and that is totally relying on Him.  I don’t claim glory for what I’ve done, because I’m really nothing except for the God given gifts I’ve received.   I don’t take credit for any good that I may do, but give credit where credit is due.

Being nice isn’t always easy, but a little kindness shown to others makes a big difference.  No matter who we are, there is always time to be humble and kind.

Humble people can do great things with uncommon perfection

because they are no longer concerned about their own

interests and their own reputations, and therefore they no

longer need to waste their efforts in defending them.

Thomas Merton