Chapter 7, Page 21, Book 17

In a world full of people who couldn't care less, be someone who couldn't care more. 

Author Unknown

words of peace and love

Sweet, cheerful words, coming from a kind heart, are worth more than gold and gems… 

Rosella Rice

Sadly, I’ve found that is there is little or no peace in many of the words I hear these days.  Nearly everyone can recall the sting of unkind words and perhaps even the guilty awareness of the injury caused by unkind words that were spoken.  We are divided by words that cut and slice and have forgotten love for our fellow man.

Words matter, choose them  wisely.  They are powerful and have a great impact on others.  It’s not so much what you say but how you say it.  An encouraging word at the right time can make all the difference in someone’s life.

I’ve always lived with the premise that if you haven’t got something good to say…don’t say it.  I’m far from perfect though and have learned that sometimes the people we love the most are the ones we hurt the most.  A slip of the tongue, a thoughtless word can cause a lot of hurt.

Sometimes we can talk less and say more.  Words matter, so make your words count

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

Author Unknown

Chapter 7, Page 20, Book 17

Every sunset is also a sunrise. 
It all depends on where you stand.
  

Karl Schmidt    

In the glow of each morning seek adventure

In the shade of each sunset, embrace peace.

Every time you wake up and ask yourself, What good things am I going to do today?, remember that when the sun goes down at sunset, it will take a part of your life with it.

 Proverb

Life can get monotonous with the daily grind but it doesn't have to be that way.  Every day is a new challenge, a new adventure, a new opportunity.  For me it can be as simple as discovering some new each and every day .  

We are each responsible for our own adventures.  No one can make the journey for us and each and every day is different for each one of us.  One thing is for sure the adventure will have it’s twists and turns but while we are on it we should just enjoy the ride.

Enjoy every moment of your life and don’t take it for granted.  Take every day as it comes and look at every day as a new adventure.  Life is an adventure - the ups, downs, curves, and the turns.  Remember all those ups and downs help us to find balance in our being.

Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. When you have laboriously accomplished your daily tasks, go to sleep in peace. God is awake. 

Victor Hugo

Chapter 7, Page 19, Book 17

Always think on the bright side--no matter what life brings
to your day.  You'll gain a treasure within your soul
that no worry or hardship can ever take away.

Isaac Purcell

I am richly blessed

Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul.

Henry David Thoreau

Far beyond worldly goods, I have a treasure chest full of blessings.   I don’t have a lot of material things in my life, but I do have so much more.  When you count your blessings each day you find just how rich your life truly is.

I am rich beyond measure.    

It is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.

Henry Ward Beecher

We live in a world where wealth is primarily determined by how much we have in our bank account and how many toys we possess.   We need to remember however, that there is something that cannot be taken from us in the way we can lose a job, our savings, or even loved ones.

It’s our smiles, our concern for one another.  It is reaching out to help someone in need.  It is listening to another and offering our gift of attention to them.  That is what I call real wealth.  Blessings are not possessions. 

It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure you haven't lost the things money can't buy.

George Lorimer

The greatest thing about real wealth is that the more we share it, the more we all gain.    When we are really wealthy, it is not being seen for what we have but for how we see.  True wealth is love and in the way we reach out to one another. 

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life, and the world.

Sarah Ban Breathnach

Chapter 7, Page 18, Book 17

Isn’t it cool when the days that are supposed to feel good, actually do? 

Jim Carrey

Sent-Sational / sensational

Sometimes all we need is a fresh new start 

I was out and about early yesterday as I had to take the car in for servicing.  They wanted it there early so at 7:30 a.m. I was there to drop it off.

I have to say, that even though I’m usually up early, I am not dressed and out of the house till afternoon.  We had a nice rain overnight and the air was fresh and cool.  Rather a sensational scent was in the air. 

It was a scent that I’d not smelled in a long time and was very welcome after the hot steamy days we’ve had lately.  The smell of a cool breeze on a beautiful summer morning is bit of heaven to my way of thinking.

I love the smell of a fresh new day.  The rain had given every thing a bath and like me, a little pick me up was needed.  It was fresh start to a fresh new week .  

I’m wishing all of you a sensational/scent-sational week too!  There is the smell of possibility in the air...

Who will tell whether one happy moment of love or the joy of breathing or walking on a bright morning and smelling the fresh air, is not worth all the suffering and effort which life implies. 

Erich Fromm

Chapter 7, Page 17, Book 17

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey

Just for the JOY of it!

Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey!

Barbara Hoffman

Life is as special and meaningful as we choose to make it.  The good news is that we all can bring more joy and meaning into our lives by finding something to celebrate every day. Often times we give more meaning than is necessary to many things.  Things like sports,  tv shows, and fashion dos and don'ts, but fail to take the time and energy to apply meaning to the things that give our lives more value.

If we don’t make the time to celebrate the moments in our lives, they will become less and less meaningful and we’ll feel less joy and fulfillment.  We need to make space to appreciate our accomplishments no matter how big or small.   The only thing that matters is what is important to you and the people you love.  

If we don’t apply meaning to the things that are important to us or celebrate all our wins and accomplishments, we’ll start to wonder what’s the point of achieving them.  

Celebrating our wins helps us to stay on track and feel great about what we do.  It gives us a reason to keep going and to celebrate.  Creating more meaning in the moments that matter can be as simple as a sweet treat after dinner or giving your self a gold star for accomplishing a goal.   It doesn’t have to be an expensive evening out but choose something that feels special to you.

When you begin your day with a sense of gratitude and celebration, you are bound to have more joy for the rest of the day.  When we notice the little things in life we did well, it improves our mood and self esteem.  Spending a few minutes to give thanks for all your blessings will add more richness to your life.

Just for today,  I’ll remember that my thoughts help to shape my day.

Chapter 7, Page 16, Book 17

A Sunday well spent means a week of content!

Proverb

My day of rest has been and always will be on Sunday.  It’s a habit acquired from my maternal grand mother.  The only work allowed at all on Sunday was fixing dinner.  Sunday was a day set aside for  worship and relaxation.   Very often family would visit on Sunday and so the day was really a restful and fulfilling kind of day.  I remember my grandfather sitting in his rocker on the porch and my sisters and I in the porch swing, laughing.

It’s great to start off a new week refreshed and renewed. There are many people that have to work on Sundays so their day off might be a Monday or Tuesday.  I don’t think that matters much as long as one of the day’s off is a day of relaxation and rest.  

We all need the time off in order to be the best we can be.

 Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless. 

Bill Patterson

One of my Sunday rituals used to be reading the Sunday paper.  It was filled with all sorts of things besides the local, state and world news.  Recipes and ads for sales gave me plenty of fodder for the coming week.   The travel pages plus the Sunday comics triggered lots of smiles.  I’ve let this joy slip by but I intend to remedy that situation.

Another ritual that I still keep is going to church Sunday morning.  As my grandmother before me, there is rarely a Sunday that I miss and I’m usually there early which another practice she kept.

Sunday dinners always give cause for a smile too.  And even though it’s a rare day that everyone can be together, I love it when my family can get together to enjoy some quality time together.   They say that the good old days will never come back, but what we do in the days to come can depend on what we do today.

Rest and be thankful, it’s Sunday!

Sunday clears away the rust of the whole week. 

Joseph Addison

Chapter 7, Page 15, Book 17

Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does.

William James

The power of one

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Leo Buscaglia

We don’t need more money.We don’t greater success or fame.  We don’t need the perfect body of even the perfect mate.  Right now, at this very moment, we have a mind.  This is all the basic equipment we need. 

You can make a difference. And because you can, you must.

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do.

Edward Everett Hale

Some stories are just too good to keep to myself.  Here’s one that I hope will encourage and inspire you.

There was once a wise man that used to go to the ocean to do his writing.  He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.   He was walking along the shore one day when he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.  He smiled to himself as he didn’t thing anybody would dance on the the beach this time of day.  Hence he began to walk faster and try and catch up with the person.

As he got closer, he saw that the person was a young man and he wasn’t dancing.  Instead he was reaching down to pick up something on the beach and every now and then would throw it into the ocean very gently.

When the wise man got closer he called out, Good Morning.  What are you doing? The young man looked up and replied, Throwing starfish into the ocean.  Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean, the wise man questioned. 

The young man said, the sun is up and the tide is going down, if I don’t throw them in they’ll die. To this the wise man answered, There are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along it.  You cannot possibly make a difference.

The young man listened politely and then bent down and picked up another starfish and through it into the sea, past the braking waves.  He said, It made a difference for that one.

The moral of the story is :  you can make a difference in your world if you take just one step at a time. Over a lifetime you will travel miles and miles

The Power of One

One song can spark a moment
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest
One bird can herald spring

One smile begins a friendship
One handclasp lifts a soul
One star can guide a ship at sea
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness
One laugh will conquer gloom

One step must start each journey
One word must start each prayer
One hope will raise our spirits
One touch can show you care

One voice can speak with wisdom
One heart can know what's true
One life can make the difference
You see, it's up to you!!

Author Unknown