Chapter 4, Page 30, Book 15

There is a choice you have to make,

In everything you do.

And you must always keep in mind

The choice you make, makes you.

Anonymous

April 30th - Love is a choice

Love is a choice, not a feeling or an emotion. It’s a decision we make every day of our life.  Not only do we make choices, our choices actually make us.   I've come to realize that not only am I the keeper of my home,  I'm the keeper of my soul and with that comes the responsibility to honor who I am by making loving choices.

Sometimes the number of choices available to us becomes overwhelming, and actually makes it difficult for us to ever have the joy of fully committing to anything or anyone. But it becomes so easy when you think, Is this choice going with me, or against me? You’ll find that the right choice is immediately evident

Love is a choice you make from moment to moment.

Barbara De Angelis

Contrary to the old sayings, ignorance is not bliss and what you don't know can hurt you and others very much.  Problems do not disappear when they are ignored.  Every action taken by man depends on knowledge.  A lot of the problems we have were caused by the lack of knowledge. 

I can choose what I wish to plant and sow seeds of peace, love, and strength.  Remembering too that gardening is an act of faith.

Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don’t know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.

Anaïs Nin

Chapter 4, Page 29, Book 15

To the world you may be 

one person

But to one person

you may be the world

Anonymous

April 29th - Love make the impossible possible

Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible. 

Doug Larson

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

The impossible is often the untried. 

Jim Goodwin 

Remember: Someone up there loves you and someone down here cares for you.

Did Anyone Ever Tell You?


Did Anyone Ever Tell You

Just How Special You Are?
The Light that You Emit
Might even Light a Star.


Did Anyone Ever Tell You
How Important You Make Others Feel?
Somebody out here is Smiling
About Love that is so Real.


Did Anyone Ever Tell You?
Many Times When They were Sad,
Your Email made Them Smile a bit,
In Fact It made Them Very Glad.

For the Time You Spend Sending Things
And Sharing whatever You Find,
There are No Words to Thank You,
But Somebody Thinks You're Truly Fine.


Did Anyone Ever Tell You
Just How Much They Love You?
Well, My Dear "Online" Friend,
Today I am Telling You.

 Author Unknown 

Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. 

John Heywood 

Chapter 4, Page 28, Book 15

It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day to day basis. 

Margaret Bonnano

April 28th - Love now

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.

At times, it’s seemed as though life contains an endless supply of days. It didn’t matter how long I held a grudge or how long I waited to do something I wanted, there would be an unlimited pool of other opportunities.

The living moment is everything. 

D.H. Lawrence

We need to be reminded that life’s too short to spend everyday doing work you hate. Life’s too short to hold grudges against people we love. Life’s too short not to see the wonders of the world. Life’s too short to not live life to the fullest

Life is too short. Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness. Laugh when you can. Apologize when you should and let go of what you can.

Unknown

Chapter 4, Page 27, Book 15

Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.

Laurence Sterne

April 27th - Love uses good manners

Men are respectable only as they respect. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Webster defines the word respect as; to prize, cherish and value.  Your ability to show respect and appreciation to another person is an example of how much you respect and appreciate yourself.  You cannot love anyone else until you love yourself.

Respecting others begins in our own hearts and minds. If we consistently show a lack of respect toward others, the problem isn’t with them as much as it’s with us.

Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others.  If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use

 Emily Post

Knowing and exercising good manners and proper conduct will make you feel good about yourself, and, in return, others will respect you for your good manners and proper conduct. What we give, always comes back to us.

The world would be more peaceful and smooth if people exhibited good manners. Bad manners encourage violence; in contrast, good manners encourage peace

Respect is a two way street, if you want to get it, you've got to give it.

 R. G. Risch

Chapter 4, Page 26, Book 15

There are three roads that we can take in life:  

The low road – where we treat people worse than they treat us

The middle road – where we treat people the same as they treat us

The high road – where we treat people better than they treat us

John C. Maxwell 

April 26th - Love takes the high road

When you 'take the high road’ it means doing the right thing even if its not popular or easy. If a person wrongs you, no need to go and seek revenge or let it worry you. Take the high road and let them take the low road. In the long run that person will have probably wronged many people and their reputation is tarnished.  Their road is rougher. While if you don't let it bother you and stick to doing the right thing, life will more likely work out for you as you are not bothered by the negative stress and your reputation is better.

Always take the high road; the benefits may not be immediate, but they are inevitable.

Like a High Road the view is often better and you can travel faster, while the low road is slower and has more obstacles and traffic lights.

Taking the high road is hard work-- walking uphill requires strength and effort. Anyone can take the low road--walking downhill is easy.

Rachel St. John-Gilbert

Chapter 4, Page 25, Book 15

Open Up Your Heart

Smilers never lose and frowners never win. 

So let the sunshine in, 

Face it with a grin.

 Open up your heart and let the sunshine in. 

by Stuart Hamblen

April 25th - Don’t knock, the doors always open

Loved people are loving people. 

 Katharine Hepburn

Unlike the doors of my house, my heart is always open.  It’s open to more and more ways that love can fill my days, so I can share more love to people, animals, flowers, anyone.  It seems to me that sunshine, happiness, laughter and joy always come when you let it in. 

An open heart is a heart that is not afraid; it knows how to endure sadness. It knows how to heal and how to forgive. It is strong and loving. An open heart is not exclusively feminine or masculine. At its most basic, an open heart is a heart that is not afraid to love deeply. It is not blind to cost, or reason, or practicality, but it’s not necessarily governed by those factors either. An open heart sees possibilities. It has vision. It is patient, it is wise.

When the heart opens, we forget ourselves and the world pours in: this world, and also the invisible world of meaning that sustains everything that was and ever shall be.

Roger Housden

I've heard a lot of people express the importance of keeping an open mind. But I don't think that's nearly as important as keeping an open heart. It is not my mind that allows me to be moved by compassion, to be understanding, to love others. It is my heart.

I am loved so therefore I can love.

Chapter 4, Page 24, Book 15

Brighten Your Corner


We cannot all be famous
or be listed in Who's Who,
But every person, great or small,
has important work to do.

For seldom do we realize
the importance of small deeds,
Or to what degree of greatness
unnoticed kindness leads.

For it's not the big celebrity
in a world of fame and praise,
But it's doing unpretentiously
in an undistinguished way.

The work that God assigned to us,
unimportant as it seems,
That makes our task outstanding,
and brings reality to dreams.

So do not sit and idly wish
for wider, new dimensions
where you can put into practice,
your many good intentions.

But at the spot God placed you
begin at once to do,
Little things to brighten up
the lives surrounding you.

If everybody brightened up
the spot where their standing,
By being more considerate,
and a little less demanding.

This dark old world would very soon
eclipse the evening star,
If everybody brightened up
the corner where they are!


Author unknown 

April 24th - Love works

It is the general rule of the moral universe that those men prosper who do their work with all their hearts, while those are almost certain to fail who go to their labor leaving half their hearts behind them. 

Charles Spurgeon

There was a time that I felt like I left half my heart at home when I had to go off to work.  Thankfully the job I had was something I enjoyed and I put my heart into that too.

There are times when we just have to enjoy being where we are and be content with what ever it is we have to do.  Not everything we do in life is something we like but because we are doing it, we make the most of whatever it is.

Whatever job we have we can be grateful because at the end of an exhausting day we can be satisfied knowing we’ve done something useful.  Work is a gift and a blessing.

Remember:  no matter where you work, you actually work for yourself. After all, it's your life. 

 We have only one life to live. We want to make the most of it. A very wise person once said, If you are not happy anywhere, you will not be happy anywhere.  It took me a few years to figure that one out. But she was right. Be happy today, regardless of circumstances. 

The comfortable and comforting people are those who look upon the bright side of life; gathering its roses and sunshine and making the most that happens seem the best.

Dorothy Dix

Chapter 4, Page 23, Book 15

Is not a kiss the very autograph of love? 

Henry Finck

April 23rd - Love and kisses

I stuck my head out the window this morning and spring kissed me bang in the face. 

 Langston Hughes

I have to say that this quote expresses just the way I feel about a warm sunny Spring day.  It is wonderful and the feeling I get when I open the windows is always a joy to my heart.

He who kisses the joy as it flies. Lives in Eternity’s sunrise. 

William Blake 

Remember this:  

The sun does not bring sadness, nor joy. You do. 

The sun does not create success or failure. You do.

The sun does not make opportunities. You do. 

You must remember this;
A kiss is still a kiss,
A sigh is just a sigh -
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by.

Lyrics and music by Herman Hupfeld

Chapter 4, Page 22, Book 15

A Kind Word Spoken 

John Greenleaf Whittier

A little word in kindness spoke,
A motion, or a tear,
Has often healed the heart that’s broken
And made a friend sincere.
A word, a look, has crushed to earth
Full many a budding flower,
Which, had a smile but owned its birth,
Would bless life’s darkest hour.
Then deem it not an idle thing
A pleasant word to speak;
The face you wear, the thought you bring,
A heart may heal or break.

 

April 22nd - Love speaks the right words

I can't always find the right words to express the way I feel and usually I think that's okay, because I'd like to believe my love speaks for itself. But there are definitely times we all need to hear the right words at the right time. The right words at the right time can be helpful, healing, and life transforming.

Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say

Even though spoken words seem to disappear into the air, they can have a way of landing inside someone's heart and remaining there for a very long time.

Remember, what you say matters, whether it's to yourself or others. 

The Right Word 

Mark Twain

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug

Chapter 4, Page 21, Book 15

If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. 

Bruce Lee

April 21st - limitless love 

God is limitless in His love, and asks that we at least make the effort to be limitless in ours.

Marianne Williamson

To love with out limits is  a challenge we can all relate to.  We often set limits on how much love we give and usually that is to protect ourselves.  The way I look at it is we can set limits, boundaries, but not limit love itself.  

We can love  people with out agreeing on everything that is done or said.  We still love, but we don’t always see things in the same way.

Know your limits, but never stop trying to exceed them. 

Author Unknown 

Chapter 4, Page 20, Book 15

April 20th - Stay in love

Never pretend to a love which you do not actually feel, for love is not ours to command.

Alan Watts

 Falling in love is not a choice.  To stay in love is.

 Relationships don't coast by on autopilot. They need active effort to keep the love alive. It’s so easy to notice the flaws in others and take the virtues for granted. We need to throw out resentment. Instead make it a habit to express gratitude and overlook their faults. Daily appreciations will help you not lose sight of all the good they do for you. You’ll also get in the habit of focusing on the positive and they will feel loved. 

It's hard to forgive someone who has hurt us. We think of ways we could get even. Sometimes we just want to write the person off and ignore them as if they no longer exist. It's difficult to forgive. And yet the one thing we all have in common is that we have all been hurt by someone else. It may have been intentionally or accidentally, but we've all been there. How we respond is the key.

Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.

Tony Robbins

I've learned the great value of the three F's: forgive, forget and forge ahead

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.

Fall in Love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.

Chapter 4, Page 19, Book 15

Redeem the time—God only knows
  How soon our little life may close;
  As every passing moment flows,
  Redeem the time!

Anonymous 

April 19th - Love redeems

I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists, coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it can be redeemed only by love.

Wendell Berry

The word redeem literally means to buy back. It suggests that something has been sold or forfeited in order to pay a debt. When the price of its redemption has been paid, the lost article can be reclaimed.

Beware of wasting the present. Instead of killing time, redeem your spare moments today. We certainly don’t want to be so time conscious that we become driven workaholics, neglecting our families, never relaxing with our friends, too busy to smell the roses or admire a sunset. 

Redeeming the time goes far beyond being efficient. It’s a wonderful phrase that can also be translated making the most of every opportunity.

Don't just count your days, make your days count.

Spring is God's way of saying, 'One more time!’

Robert Orben 

Chapter 4, Page 18, Book 15

The Road of Life

At first, I saw God as my observer,
my judge,
keeping track of the things I did wrong,
so as to know whether I merited heaven
or hell when I die.
He was out there sort of like a president.
I recognized His picture when I saw it,
but I really didn't know Him.

But later on
when I met Christ,
it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride,
but it was a tandem bike,
and I noticed that Christ
was in the back helping me pedal.

I don't know just when it was
that He suggested we change places,
but life has not been the same since.

When I had control,
I knew the way.
It was rather boring,
but predictable . . .
It was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead,
He knew delightful long cuts,
up mountains,
and through rocky places
at breakneck speeds,
it was all I could do to hang on!
Even though it looked like madness,
He said, Pedal !

I worried and was anxious
and asked,
Where are you taking me?
He laughed and didn't answer,
and I started to learn to trust.

I forgot my boring life
and entered into the adventure.
And when I'd say, I'm scared,
He'd lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to people with gifts that I needed,
gifts of healing,
acceptance
and joy.
They gave me gifts to take on my journey,
my Lord's and mine.

And we were off again.
He said, Give the gifts away;
they're extra baggage, too much weight.
So I did,
to the people we met,
and I found that in giving I received,
and still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him,
at first,
in control of my life.
I thought He'd wreck it;
but He knows bike secrets,
knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners,
knows how to jump to clear high rocks,
knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.

And I am learning to shut up
and pedal
in the strangest places,
and I'm beginning to enjoy the view
and the cool breeze on my face
with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.

And when I'm sure I just can't do anymore,
He just smiles and says . . . Pedal.

Author unknown

April 18th- love is adventure

Is there not glory enough in living the days given to us? You should know there is adventure in simply being among those we love and the things we love, and beauty, too.

Lloyd Alexander

I’ve lived a life full of love and there have been many adventures.  Traveling the road of life is much more fulfilling when when it’s filled with things and people you love.  

To see God’s hand in everything makes life a great adventure.

The picture  showing me with some of my grandchildren was taken this past Easter.  The grandchildren shown are just a few of the many that I have.  Believe me when I say that my life has been an adventurous journey and it’s not over yet.

Love is an adventure of the soul

Chapter 4, Page 17, Book 15

We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.

John Lennon

April 17th - Love nurtures

The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass where ever you may be.

Robert Fulghum

In today’s society, we're encouraged to move fast, and to covet what we don’t have, instead of nourishing what we do have. We can damage beautiful relationships if we don’t give them the attention they deserve. Much like a plant needs water, love and attention, so do human beings!  

Different plants thrive together in a well nurtured garden. Just as they thrive, they pass on a message to mankind - God created us all to thrive with one another and planted love in our hearts for this reason. Let's learn to embrace each other, knowing Love is all we have to keep us growing and going.

Kemi Sogunle

If you love something you have to protect it.  Every day we have to make choices that ensure the things we love continue to thrive. So if you find a way of life that is good for you, do whatever it takes to keep it. 

To love is to nurture.

Love is like a new born baby it needs to be nurtured. Love is like a flower it needs to be tended. Love is like a garden it needs to be nourished. Loves don't grow on its own, you need to plant it, weed fertilizes, water it and protect it.

Chapter 4, Page 16, Book 15

Right now is your sole opportunity to live this day. Live it true to who you are, true to what you believe, and true to all you love.

 Ralph Marston

April 16th - Be true to what you love

We are all very different when we are at our best than when we are at our worst. We can even seem like two different people sometimes. 

Relationships bring out the best and the worst in all of us and most everyone needs someone, at some time, to give them something, in order to become the someone they long to become. 

In life you’ll realize there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you, and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.

Remember: It is okay to be angry.  It is never okay to be cruel.

When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.

 William Arthur Ward

I read somewhere once that we tend to judge ourselves by our intentions and other people by their actions. I feel strongly that it is so very important to bring out the best in ourselves and others and I’ve found that the best way to bring out the best in someone is to praise generously and be sincere

 Don't just be yourself, be your best self.

 I’ve been told that you’re part of the problem, or you’re part of the solution.  It’s always motivating to know you are part of the solution.

Because sometimes

you have to step outside of the person you’ve been,
and remember the person you were meant to be,
the person you wanted to be,
the person you are.

H.G. Wells

I hope to live my life in such a way that I am part of the solution, not part of the problem.

Chapter 4, Page 15, Book 15

True love doesn't happen right away; it's an ever growing process. It develops after you've gone through many ups and downs, when you've suffered together, cried together, laughed together.

Ricardo Montalban

April 15th - True love

True love is when you put someone on a pedestal, and they fall--but you are there to catch them.

Love is not turning a blind eye it is having both eyes wide open. Infatuation is putting someone on a pedestal and seeing who you want to see.  Everyone has problems, flaws, and blind spots, just as we do. When we entertain the illusion that someone is perfect, we don't allow them room to be human, so when they make an error in judgment or act in contradiction to our idea of perfection, we can become disillusioned.

Don't put me on a pedestal, for I am sure to fall. Just love me as I am, flaws and all .

When you are on a pedestal, the only place to go is down.

Having your soul knitted to another isn’t for the faint of heart. It means you bear your own hurts along with those of your friend. You cry when they cry and laugh when they laugh and feel like your heart will break wide open when you face not having them by your side.

But it’s worth it because they cause you to love harder, laugh louder, live richer and become more than you could ever be without them. It’s putting your heart and your name in the hands of another person and saying, I trust you with all of this, as they do the same.

True love is unconditional and accepts you just as you are.

Chapter 4, Page 14, Book 15

Advice from a Tree

Stand tall and proud 

Be confident in who you are. There is beauty in each and every one of us and we must proudly show that to the world. Because a tree is rooted firmly in the ground it can reach out with its branches to get light, feel the rain, or let a bird land on a branch. Once we, too are grounded and able to stand firmly in who we are, we can reach out to accept the gifts this world has to offer. It is often easier to focus on the negativity in life, but think about all that has gone right and all that you've accomplished! Be proud and lift your heart up to the sky.

Author Unknown

April 14th - Love makes you twice as tall.

When you're in love, you stand a little taller and carry yourself with an air of confidence. Make no mistake about it; people in love feel good about themselves. 

 In life, we are all constantly at crossroads. Some of these crossroads are life changing, and others don’t seem to make a difference either way. These moments come to us sometimes many times a day. Which way to choose, what choice to make.  We need to stand for something.

If you don't make a stand for something you'll never make a stand for nothing

Just as a tree has the strength to weather decades, if not centuries and millennia, of storms, so must we find our strength to weather through everything that life presents us.  We can learn a great deal from nature’s wisdom at work if we are open to the lesson. Watch how a tree bends and sways gracefully when the wind blows against it. It does not stand rigid, resisting the flow of energy. It does not push back. The tree accepts the strong wind as a blessing that helps it grow.

Stand Tall. Be proud of who you are; be proud of what you’ve accomplished. And remember, there’s always room to grow.

Stand tall.  Stand together