After awhile you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul.
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
And company doesn’t mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts
And presents aren’t promises.
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes ahead
With the grace of a woman or man
Not with the grief of a child.
And you learn to build your roads on today
Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
And after awhile you learn
That even sunshine burns if you ask too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate you own soul
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn
That you really can endure
That you really are strong
That you really do have worth.
And you learn…
And you learn…
With every failure
You learn.
by Kara DiGiovanna

Our true home is in the present moment.
To live in the present moment is a miracle.
The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment,
to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.
Peace is all around us –
in the world and in nature –
and within us –
in our bodies and our spirits.
Once we learn to touch this peace,
we will be healed and transformed.
It is not a matter of faith;
it is a matter of practice.
– Thich Nhat Hanh

(Moments of Grace and Illumination pg 367)
Life Prayers – Elizabeth Roberts & Elias Amidon

When your hopes and dreams are shattered
And cause you grief and pain,
Do not despair but start anew
Your cherished goals to gain.

Do not lose faith within yourself
If failure comes your way,
But battle on with head held high
You’ll find a brighter day.

Just as sunshine follows rain
And daylight follows night,
Your hopes and dreams are not in vain
If you keep God in your sight.

Harold F Mohn

Winners versus Losers

The Winner is always a part of the answer;

The Loser is always a part of the problem.

The Winner always has a program;

The Loser always has an excuse.

The Winner says, “Let me do it for you;”

The Loser says, “That’s not my job.”

The Winner sees an answer for every problem;

The Loser sees a problem in every answer.

The Winner says, “It may be difficult but it’s possible;”

The Loser says, “It may be possible but it’s too difficult.”

– Unknown

“She had blue skin,
And so did he.
He kept it hid
And so did she.
They searched for blue
Their whole life through,
Then passed right by-
And never knew.”
― Shel Silverstein, Every Thing on It

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile
And mouth with myriad subtleties,

Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but oh great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile,
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1872 – 1906

Love is….

Love makes us patient,
Understanding, and kind,
And we judge with our hearts
And not with our minds,
For as soon as love enters
the heart’s open door,
The faults we once saw are
not there anymore.

Helen Steiner Rice

Desiderata
Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

May you find serenity and tranquillity
in a world you may not always understand.

May the pain you have known and the
conflict you have experienced
give you the strength
to walk through life facing each new
situation with courage and optimism.

Always know that there are those
whose love and understanding
will always be there,
even when you feel most alone.

May you discover enough goodness
in others to believe in a world of peace.

May a kind word, a reassuring touch,
a warm smile be yours every day of your life,
and may you give these gifts
as well as receive them.

Remember the sunshine
when the storm seems unending.

Teach love to those who know hate,
and let that love embrace you
as you go into the world.

May the teaching of those you admire
become part of you, so that you
may call upon them.

Remember, those whose lives you
have touched and who have touched yours
are always a part of you, even
if the encounters were less than
you would have wished.
It is the content of the encounter
that is more important than its’ form.

May you not become too concerned
with material matters, but instead place
immeasurable value on the
goodness in your heart.

Find time in each day to see the
beauty and love in the world around you.
Realize that each person has
limitless abilities, but each of
us is different in our own way.

What you may feel you lack in
one regard may be more than
compensated for in another.
What you feel you lack in the
present may become one
of your strengths in the future.

May you see your future as one
filled with promise and possibility.

May you always feel loved.
Unknown

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRENGTH AND COURAGE

It takes strength to be firm.
It takes courage to be gentle.

It takes strength to stand guard.
It takes courage to let down your guard.

It takes strength to conquer
It takes courage to surrender.

It takes strength to be certain.
It takes courage to have doubt.

It takes strength to fit in.
It takes courage to stand out.

It takes strength to feel a friend’s pain.
It takes courage to feel your own pain.

It takes strength to hide feelings.
It takes courage to show them.

It takes strength to endure abuse.
It takes courage to stop it.

It takes strength to stand alone.
It takes courage to lean on another.

It takes strength to love.
It takes courage to be loved.

It takes strength to survive.
It takes courage to live.