Chapter 1, Page 31, Book 19

Judge Gently

Author Unknown

Pray don’t find fault with the man who limps

or stumbles along the road,

unless you have worn the shoes he wears

or struggle beneath his load

There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt,

though hidden away from view,

or the burden he bears, placed on your back

might cause you to stumble too.

Don’t sneer at the man who’s down today 

unless you have felt the blow

that cause his fall or felt the shame

that only the fallen know.

You may be strong, but still the blows

that were his if dealt to you,

in the selfsame way, at the selfsame time,

might cause you to stagger too.

Don’t be too harsh with the man who sins

or pelt him with word or stone,

unless you are sure, yea, doubly sure,

that you have no sins of your own -

for you know perhaps if the temper’s voice

should whisper as softly to you

as it did to him when he went astray,

it might cause you to stumble too.

January 31st - no more judging

Every man his his secret sorrows, which this world knows not.

And oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I firmly believe that we should not judge others, but I’m not perfect and have found myself tempted to do so many times.    I may not actually say the words, but the thoughts are there.  They say that judging a person does not define who they are, it defines who we are. 

I don’t want to be judged and believe in the idea of treating others how I want to be treated. Judgements don’t bring any good into the world, they bring others down. Judgements are negative so I try to look for the positive in people and things.

We all make mistakes because none of us our perfect.  Giving someone a hand up when they fall is much better than judging them.  

We can judge others or we can love others -

but we can’t do both at the same time.

Author Unknown

Chapter 1, Page 30, Book 19

Don’t let what you cannot do

interfere with what you can do.

John Wooden

January 30th - do what you can 

Do what you can, with what 

you have, where you are.

Theodore Roosevelt.

As I’ve aged, I’ve found that there are many things I can no longer do.  At least not the way I used to do them.  But I can still do a  lot and I don’t let what I cannot do get me down.  As long as I can still do something, I’m happy.  

Right now, my only disability is old age.  For me it means living life in the slow lane.  Some days I think I couldn’t possibly get any slower, Ha ! It takes me longer to do most anything so I’ve learned to plan accordingly.  If I know I need to be someplace at a certain time, I start getting ready sooner that I used to.  

Gone are the days when I used to clean house, bake a cake and go shopping all in one day.  Now I can do one or the other but not all three.  My body only knows one pace and that is slow. The old grey mare isn’t what she used to be.

Living life in the slow lane does have it’s advantages so I make the most of what I’ve got. Slowing down causes time and space to expand.  I’ve become like the tortoise, slow at the outset, but still going strong at the end of the day.

When we slow down we start noticing the feeling of the breeze, the smell of the air, and all that’s happening right now.  It’s a wonderful feeling and I’m happy to be who I am right now.

Start where you are.

Use what you have.

Do what you can.

Arthur Ashe

Chapter 1, Page 29, Book 19

Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure, there your heart, where your heart, there your happiness.

St. Augustine

January 29th - Pleasure is the measure of your Treasure.  

The world is so full of a number of thins I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Pleasure is the meter in your heart that measures how valuable, how precious someone or something is to you. Pleasure is the measure of your treasure.

Your treasure is what you love.  The greatest treasure is what you love most.  If what you love is out of whack and pleasure is missing in your life, it’s an indication that something isn’t right.  

We are all rich in treasures untold and often don’t realize it.  Our treasure within us, it is our our inner happiness, love and peace.  Money cannot buy happiness or peace of mind, they are a treasure found in our hearts.  

The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.

Richard Bach

Chapter 1, Page 28, Book 19

A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.

Ronald Dahl

January 28th - who is wise?

Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.

Alfred Tennyson

Wisdom is the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement.Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion and virtues such as ethics and benevolence.

Wisdom is not simply knowing what to do, but doing it.  Although intelligence helps, we can be intelligent without being wise.  Wise people can judge what is true or right.

Anyone who is interested in trying new things and reflects on the process has the ability to gain wisdom. By putting our knowledge to the test, we can become wiser. Wisdom comes when you’re willing to make mistakes and learn from them.

Wisdom is not something to be taught, but it is learned over time. I don’t think I’ll ever live long enough to be considered a wise person.  I’m still learning something new every day. There are still many lessons to be learned.

We do not receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves,  after a journey through the wilderness which no one can take for us or spare us.

Marcel Proust

Chapter 1, Page 27, Book 19

Imagination will often carry us to the worlds that never were.  But without it, we go nowhere.

Carl Sagan

January 27th - mind over matter

Imagination makes you see all sorts of things.

Georgia O’Keeffe

They say that everything that has ever been created by mankind : skyscrapers  skies, cars, computers, buildings, coffee cups, cotton balls and even immaterial concepts and philosophies,  all began in the mind of someone before they became a reality. 

Using imagination unlocks our creativity.  If we can imagine it and believe in it, good things will happen.

When imagination and excitement are mixed together, we will either not notice obstacles or they will will be largely  diminished.  We find creative ways to get through them or around them. So if you get stumped on how to solve a problem, remember to use your imagination. 

 We can be anyone or any thing we want to be, it just takes a pinch of confidence and a spoon full of imagination. 

Imagination is everything.  It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.

Albert Einstein

Chapter 1, Page 26, Book 19

In case of doubt, push on just a little further and then keep on pushing.

George Patton

January 26th- push through, push hard

Most of us follow our conscience as we follow a wheelbarrow.  We push it in front of us in the direction we want to go.

Billy Graham

PUSH is an acronym that stands for:

Pray 

until 

something 

happen

We all need a little push every now and then.  A push helps to keep us motivated  or to make the changes we need in our lives.  During times when life is tough we may need a little push to give us more energy to move and tackle the things we don’t want to do.

I figure we should try to be our best, better than what we were yesterday, so I keep on pushing a little bit more every day.  We all have to keep moving forward.  

Laziness or procrastination won’t get us anywhere.  There is a story about a king in ancient times who had his men place a boulder on a roadway.  He then hid in the bushes, and watch to see if any would move the boulder out of the way.  Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers passed by and simply walked around it.

Many blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none of them did any thing about getting the stone removed. One day a peasant came long carrying vegetables. Upon approaching thee boulder,  he laid down his burden and tried to push the stone out of the way.  After much pushing and straining, he finally managed.

After the peasant went back to pick up his vegetables, he noticed a purse lying on the road where the boulder had been.  The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King to explain that gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the road.

There is a reward when you keep on pushing.  It may not be easy, but it is the best way.

Every morning I wake up saying, I’m alive — a miracle, so I keep pushing.

Jack Cousteau

Chapter 1, Page 25, Book 19

Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey to it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.

Samuel Smiles

January 25th- shedding a little light 

Every area of trouble gives out a ray of hope, and the one unchangeable certainty is that nothing is certain or unchangeable.

John F. Kennedy 

Hope is like a ray of sunlight shining through the darkness. Hope's bright rays revive a drooping heart. Sometimes a ray of hope is all the sunshine you need.

When we have hope, we have everything.  The days are brighter and lighter.  Hope makes anything possible.  Hope makes a difference and hope makes us happier.

Hope also makes us stronger than we ever thought we could be.  Hope gets us through the darkest of days.  Hope is necessary to live all our days to the fullest.

We stand in life at midnight; we are always at the threshold of a new dawn.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Chapter 1, Page 24, Book 19

The moment one gives a close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world into itself.

Henry Miller

January 24th- mystery

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.

Rachel Carson

We all love a good mystery story.  And when I think about it, life is like a mystery unfolding.  We try to formulate plans for the future, but in reality, it is  a mystery what our lives will hold. None of us knows the future.  

One of the traditions here at my house for the New Year is to open a fortune cookie. I know that no one can predict the future, it is only for fun.  The only thing we know for sure is what is happening right now and try to enjoy it to the fullest. 

Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here right now.  Don’t miss it.

Leo Buscaglia

For me not knowing what the future holds is a blessing.  Were we to know what is going to happen next, we might fail to try. Life is full of mysteries and I’m not ever going to know all there is to know.  

Sometimes, we must know nothing, so that everything can be known, like Nature who does nothing, but leaves nothing undone. The mystery of life will open up to us when we are open to it, we don’t need to have all the answers.

Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery.  Today is a gift.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Chapter 1, Page 23, Book 19

When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand of reasons to smile.

Author Unknown

January 22nd - SMILE

It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and impossible to find it elsewhere.

Agnes Repplier

Sometimes in the middle of difficulties and life’s storms it can be helpful to remember the small things that make you smile.  Remembering that what ever makes you smile, makes life worth living. 

A smile is a sign of a life worth living. Laughter is contagious and so is Smiling.  Love turns what’s not loved into love.  Darkness that is brought to the light is transformed by the light. Appreciation gives us more to appreciate.

Smiles are like the  morning light scattering the night away and brighten every day.

 I am thankful that there have been more reasons to SMILE than to cry in my life.  Happiness can be a moment to moment choice.  

I have sometime times been wildly despairingly, acutely miserable, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.

Agatha Christie

Chapter 1, Page 22, Book 19

Drag your thoughts away from your troubles — by the ear, but the heals, ar any other way you can manage it.  It the healthiest thing a body can do.

Mark Twain

January 22nd - we are what we think

Nothing erases unpleasant thoughts more effectively

than conscious concentration on pleasant ones.

Hana Selye

People often go to extremes when it comes to keeping healthy, but we don’t often think of our thoughts as a way of healthy living. However, it is a fact that positive thinkers are healthier and less stressed.  They also have greater over all sense of well being. 

Positive thinking can also play a major part in our resilience, our ability to bounce back after a traumatic event. It is more than just being happy or displaying an upbeat attitude.  Positive thoughts help to create real value in our life When we think about joy, contentment and love, we will be happier and healthier too.

You are what you think, not what you eat.

Keep your thoughts right—for as you think, so are you.

Thoughts are things, therefore, think only the things that

 will make life better and you unashamed.

Henry H. Buckley

Chapter 1, Page 21, Book 19

Winter has an uncanny way of producing in us a great appreciation for the tender new beginnings of spring…both in nature and in our hearts.

Janet L. Weaver

January 21st - new beginnings

Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.

Victor Hugo

One thing that makes these cold and snowy days of winter easier to take is that I know Spring will come again.  The stark whiteness  of the snow reminds me of a clean slate, a new beginning.  Snow brings change, newness and a fresh take on the world.

While the change of weather is an annoyance to some, it is the start of something new. It can be what we make of it but it can be be a time to sit back and realize each new day is a new beginning.  

Thinking Spring gives me hope for a brighter tomorrow. With wind chill in the double digits below zero and the lake effect snow, I’m reminded that nothing lasts forever and this too will pass.  Spring will come again bringing new beginnings, a fresh start and  endless opportunities 

Winter has a way of testing the resolve of people, rewarding those with grit and determination with the hope of spring.  We have done this before and we can do it again.  

Each day the world is born anew for him who takes it rightly

James Russell Lowell

Chapter 1, Page 20, Book 19

Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.

Alan Lakein

January 20th - take action

Plans get you into things but you must work your way out.

Will Rogers

Any 

Change 

Toward 

Improving 

One’s 

Nature

Taking action isn’t always easy but to be to be successful at anything you must take action even when you don't feel like it.  Too many of us wait for things to be perfectly aligned before we take action.  We wait for the perfect time to get married. The perfect time to own a home. The right time to have children. The right time to start a business. The right time to take a family vacation. The right time to make a business decision. The right time to visit old friends. Even the right time to apologize. 

In reality, there is no perfect time. Nothing will ever be perfect, so don’t wait for perfection before taking action. It’s good to think, research, plan, but then take action.

Many times we fail to take action because we manufacture excuses.  We need to learn to live by choice, not by chance.  Make changes, not excuses.  Be motivated, not manipulated.  Work to excel, not compete.  

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action. 

Frank Tibolt

Everything that happens in life is neither good nor bad.  It just depends on your perspective.  And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should.  When you feel hopeless or helpless, taking action helps.

If you have accomplished all that you have planned for yourself, you have not planned enough.

Edward Everett Hale

Chapter 1, Page 19, Book 19

Dost thou love life? Then waste no time; for time is the stuff that life is made of.

Benjamin Franklin

January 19th - loving life

Life seems to love the liver of it.

Maya Angelo

Life should be a wonderful journey of living and loving each moment.  It doesn’t mean that there won’t be hard times, but that you make the most of what you have, while you have it.  When you truly love your life, you can’t help but be happier.

We only get one life to live so we should live it to the fullest and enjoy it. Every one is fighting some kind of battle.  Failure, disappointment, frustration or exhaustion.  But we only life once and it’s important to remind ourselves that no matter haw hard life is, we should never lose our love for life as it gives us the energy to keep moving on.

Life is like a coin.  You can spend it any way you wish, but we only spend it once.

Lillian Dickson

Each day is gift and what we do with it is up to us.  For every problem, there is also a solution.  There is more to life than our daily tasks and worries.  Every day my not be a good one, but there is something good to be found in every day.

There is so much joy in the world, so much to enjoy and we can miss out on it when we’re too busy or fed up. There are small joys to be found and glorious moments to be enjoyed.  They are there when we take the time to look for them.

Love is life and if you miss love, you miss life.

Leo Buscaglia

Chapter 1, Page 18, Book 19

Don’t count the days, make the days count.

Mohammad Ali

January 18th - Do the right thing

In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.

Theodore Roosevelt

In every moment of every day, it always the right time to do the right thing.  It doesn’t matter what you are doing or who you are spending time with. By choosing to do the right thing, we can share light and hope with each individual we meet.

We shouldn’t put it off, waiting for a better time.  The best time and the only time we really have is now. When you do the right thing, you tend to get the same things back.  Give value to people and help them and they will want to help you.  

Do the right thing.  It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.

Mark Twain

Doing what is right isn’t always easy or convenient. But if you do something that doesn’t feel right, it isn’t.  Doing the right thing is ways a good thing.

We never know just what time we have left so should never put off doing what is right today.  We must use our time wisely for tomorrow might be too late. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Life is not complex.  We are complex.  Life is simple and the simple thing is the right thing.

Oscar Wilde

Chapter 1, Page 17, Book 19

Getting Along Better

Proven ways to get along better with everyone.

Before you say anything to anyone, ask yourself 3 things:

Is it true?

Is it Kind?

Is it necessary?

Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully

Never miss the opportunity to compliment our say something encourging to someone.

Refuse to talk negatively about others, don’t gossip and don’t listen to gossip.

Have a forgiving view of people.  Believe that most people are doing the best they can.

Keep an open mind; discuss, but don’t argue.  It is possible to disagree without being disagreeable.

Forget about counting to 10.  Count to 1,000 before doing or saying anything that could make matters worse.

Let your virtues speak for themselves.

If someone criticizes you, see if there is any truth to the criticism.  If there is no truth to the criticism, ignore it and live so that no one will believe the negative remark.

Cultivate your sense of humor; laughter is the shortest distance between two people.  

Do not seek so much to be consoled, as to console; do not seek so much to be understood, as to understand; do not seek so much to be loved as to love 

Author Unknown

January 17th - Proven ways are the best

Truth is what stands the test of experience.

Albert Einstein.

I like the tried and true ways of life.  The proven ways of making life better and easier, but every now and then we have to find out things for ourself. They say we all have to learn lessons in life.  Some are easier, some are harder, but if I know something that is proven to be true, I’ll go with it.

There are many truths of which the full meaning cannot be realized until personal experience had brought it home.  

John Stuart Mill

Tested and proved is to be worthy or good. They are recognized as reliable and are found to be successful.  One thing that has been proven is that to be happier in life we should stay in touch with friends and family .  Money cannot buy happiness.

Another is to spend time in the fresh air.  It will boost positive thinking and improve memory too. It has also been proven that Smiling will make you feel better.  A smile is also a good way to reduce some of the pain we have in troubling circumstances.

Men occasional stumble on the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.

Sir Winston Churchill