Inspiring Quotes

[LightLizard]

Sometimes, just a few words can make the world of difference to someone in pain or distress.

May you find your day a joy and your nights be restful and serene.

"There is a saying of the Sufis that "God slept in the rock, God dreamed in the tree, God became self-conscious in the animal, but God sought Himself and recognized Himself in man."

"That denotes clearly man's main purpose: that whatever be his occupation, whatever may please him, whatever he may admire, there is only one motive, the one motive which is working towards his unfoldment, and that is to feel, "What I have made, how great it is, and how wonderful. How beautiful it is to recognize it, to see it."

"It is that inclination which is working through every soul. Whether a person wants to become spiritual or not, yet unconsciously every soul is striving towards the unfoldment of the soul."
-- Hazrat Inayat Khan

May the sun bring you new energy by day,
May the moon softly restore you by night,
May the rain wash away your worries,
May the breeze blow new strength into your being,
May you walk gently through the world
and know its beauty all the days of your life.

-- Apache Blessing


love

~LL~

[okarol]

Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

[LightLizard]

"
There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn
not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn,
to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
 
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in
summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
 
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to
describe what they had seen.
 
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
 
The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of
promise.
 
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled
so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had
ever seen.
 
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping
with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
 
The Chief then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they
had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
 
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one
season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and
love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the
seasons are up.
 
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the
beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall."
 
~Author Unknown

[skillpete]

choose choice

[tamara]

choose choice

Made me think of the ol slogan Wham used to wear on there T Shirts "Choose LIfe "

we all remember them don't we ?

[goofynina]

choose choice

Made me think of the ol slogan Wham used to wear on there T Shirts "Choose LIfe "

we all remember them don't we ?

Girlfriend, who could forget George Michael,  the man has done some wrong but he is still fine as all heck

[tamara]

choose choice

Made me think of the ol slogan Wham used to wear on there T Shirts "Choose LIfe "

we all remember them don't we ?

Girlfriend, who could forget George Michael, the man has done some wrong but he is still fine as all heck

I thought we all would remember George, but was wondering who would admit remembering the T shirts LOL 

[carson]

I like...

"Whether you think you can or can't, you're right"  - Henry Ford

"I never let school get in the way of my education" - Mark Twain

"The thousand mile journey starts with one step" - Chinese proverb?

[LightLizard]

'Those who know, do not say-
those who say, do not know.'
-Lao Tzu

'I'd rather have a bottle in front of me
than a frontal lobotomy.'
-Tom Waits

[LightLizard]

"Emotion arises at the place where mind and body meet. It is the body's reaction to your mind — or you might say, a reflection of your mind in the body"
-Eckhart Tolle from 'The Power of Now.'

(very worthwhile reading!)

love

~LL~

[LightLizard]

'Pain is of the body,
suffering is of the mind.'
 

[okarol]

A wonderful woman by the name of Tina resides in Illinois who is living with cancer wrote this - It was passed on to me, so I will share it with you ...

 
After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand & chaining a soul, & you learn that love doesn't mean leaning & company doesn't mean security, & you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts & presents aren't promises, & you begin to accept your defeats with your head up & your eyes open, with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child.

You learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much. So, plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And you learn that you really can endure, that you really are strong, & you really are worth it!

[goofynina]

Thank you Okarol, that is absolutely beautiful and oh soooo true 

[Sluff]

That was very nice karol, it seems the most thought out quotes and advice come from those who live it.

[jbeany]

Motto to live by:  Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, latte in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!"

[kitkatz]

Motto to live by:  Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, latte in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!"

  Amen!

[LightLizard]

'life is a sexually transmitted, terminal condition.'
- not sure who said it...


'don't take life so seriously, you're not going to get out of it alive, anyway!'
-my favourite bumper sticker.

love

~LL~

[aharris2]

Motto to live by:  Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, latte in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO, what a ride!"

  Jbeany, I love your quote! 


"Querer es poder" as stated by Dr. Hernandez, Rolando's nephrologist
'...To want to is to be able to...' as translated by this gringa

This was stated when it became clear that Rolando would most likely be one of the rare few to survive a bout of calciphylaxis. 

To me, the converse is even more true - if you don't really want to, you (certainly) won't be able to. 

[okarol]

Lessons on Life
 
There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his
sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent
them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree
that was a great distance away.
 
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring,
the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
 
When they had all gone and come back, he called them
together to describe what they had seen.
 
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and
twisted.
 
The second son said "no" it was covered with green buds and
full of promise.
 
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms
that  smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful. It was the
most graceful thing he had ever seen.
 
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was
ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
 
The man then explained to his sons that they were all
right, because they had each seen but only one season in the
tree's life.
 
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person,
by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and
the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only
be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
 
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise
of your spring, the beauty of your summer, the fulfillment
of your fall.
 
Moral:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the
rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times
are sure to come.
 
Live Simply.
Love Generously.
Care Deeply.
Speak Kindly.

[kitkatz]

If you can't dazzle them with brilliance,
Baffle them with BS.

[okarol]

I did not check Snopes for this poem's authenticity...
Nope, I accepted the words as stated whether they were truly written by such a person or not. You be the judge!!

Subject: Crabby Old Man

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near
Tampa, Florida, it was believed that he had nothing left.

Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions,
they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff
that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

One nurse took her copy to Missouri. The old man's sole bequest to
posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News
Magazine of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide
presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent,
poem.

And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is
now the author of this "anonymous" poem winging across the Internet.


Crabby Old Man

What do you see nurses? .......What do you see?
What are you thinking......when you're looking at me?
A crabby old man,.....not very wise,
Uncertain of habit ........with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles his food.......and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice....."I do wish you'd try!"
Who seems not to notice ....the things that you do.
And forever is losing .............. a sock or shoe?

Who, resisting or not...........lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding ....... the long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse......you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am ....... as I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, ......as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten......with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .......who love one another

A young boy of Sixteen ...........with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now. ..........a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty .........my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows........that I promised to keep.

At Twenty-Five, now .......... I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide ....... and a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty ......... my young now grown fast,
Bound to each other ........ with ties that should last.

At Forty, my young sons ........have grown and are gone,
But my woman's beside me........to see ! I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, .......... babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children ......... my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me .......... my wife is now dead.
I look at the future ............I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing ........young of their own.
And I think of the years...... and the love that I've known.

I'm now an old man.........and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age .......look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles..........grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone........where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass ...... a young guy still dwells,
And now and again ........my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys.............. I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living.............life over again.

I think of the years ....all too few......gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact........that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people ..........open and see..
Not a crabby old man. Look closer....see........ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you
might brush aside without looking at the young soul within.....we will
all, one day, be there, too!


The best and most beautiful things of
this world can't be seen or touched.
They must be felt by the heart. God Bless.

GROWING OLD IS NOT FOR SISSIES! ! !

[angellady07]

Luciano de Crescenzo:" We are each of us an angel with only one wing and we can only fly by embracing each other".

Jonathan Swift: "May you live all the days of your life".

I recently lost a dear friend and this quote is on my desk.

Life is eternal and love is immortal,
and death is only an horizon,
and an horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.
    Unknown

[okarol]

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied.

"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.

Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account.

You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing."
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.

2. Free your mind from worries.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less.

[KT0930]

""Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light." -Albert Schweitzer"

(Seen on a myspace.com page of a kidney xp recipient about to celebrate his one year anniversary)

[Zach]

When a reporter once asked Thomas Alva Edison the question, "What is your formula for success?"  Edison replied, "One percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

How true.