" Every Day Strength " by Susan Pearl

People who are kind and want only the best for everyone are wonderful friends.
They are rare, sometimes hard to find and likened to "Pearls Take Time"
  because these people are true gems.
They face life with great faith, hope and love
    believing that on matter what, no matter where,
    the strength needed for that exact moment will be there.
They trust this to be true,
    and steadily and steadfastly faith, hope and love help them through.
Yes, through all of the the changes, stages, phases, processes and passages
    that come with life's way,
But their faith, hope and love will still remain strong at the end of every day.
They say "The more things change the more they remain the same",
 Faith, hope and love remain the same ---
    they can be counted on and depended upon for strength every day
    for whatever comes our way.

" Holding Our Own " by Susan Pearl

Let's hear it today for "holding our own",
Not everything is a win or lose situation and if we can hold our own we are doing fine,
"Holding our own" is keeping a balance no matter how pushed around we may feel,
And "holding our own" should be recognized from time to time,
Because if we are "holding our own" things stay very real,
So for all those who "hold their own" day after day,
No matter what may come their way,
"Hats Off " --Let's hear it today for those who hold their own,
And may proper respect for all of them be shown.

" Forgiveness Key " by Susan Pearl

Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door to the healing of life's hurts,
Once we walk through that open door we will experience a peace that we didn't know before.
Healing and forgiveness go hand in hand to pull us out of being stuck and held in the pain of what has come our way,
Forgiveness releases us to be free again and live a life of noticing the possibilities of good that are in each day.

"Wilderness Humility Lesson" by Susan Pearl

What have I learned this last week?

I think I have learned a lot.  I heard one gentleman comment that he had learned "humility" from the wilderness.  He said the wilderness taught him humility by showing him that things don't go like you think they will.  He doesn't let something very simple and routine become taken for granted.  People can slip, trip or fall and the wilderness teaches that lesson and it brings about a humble way to see ourselves and others.

I remember visiting with an 88 year old lady and she said the most humbling experience of her life was standing beside a giant redwood tree.  She said it made her wonder how anyone could feel so big, so important and so great while standing beside a redwood.  Even the conversation moved her to tears.

So, somehow, this week I learned that the wilderness shows us humility. I was told once that true humility is knowing our place in accordance to other people and their lives and not to think too much or little of ourselves.  Humility is simply knowing our place like knowing and accepting where our name card would be at a formal dinner in accordance to our relationship with the host or hostess.  We would be almost able to guess where our chair for table placement designation would be located.

There are no formal place cards in the wilderness.  We are all treated the same in nature's wilderness and that is what is so amazing.  The wilderness quickly shows to everyone  the lessons of what really is important and just as important we are shown what is "not" important. By not taking what is important for granted other things will be put in a proper place.  But if ever there is a time when  we do take for granted what is important then we should reevaluate our standards accordingly to what we know to be true.  Because knowing what is important and not taking it for granted is the wilderness humility lesson.

" Good Writing Reflects Life " by Susan Pearl

Good writing is like the weaving of words to form a fabric so strong that it can carry a person away
    to a time and place that's inviting to stay.
From beginning to end the woven words hold the person's attention intriguingly for there is
   something the person wants to know that only the turning of pages can show.
Pages that gently, kindly, waltz through like being swept of our feet
    then abruptly change to words staggering across the page in fear of who we will meet.
Characters are introduced and shown reminding us of the saints and scoundrels we have known.
All emotions are covered by exposing them one by one to the vulnerability of what will happen
   until it is revealed and then that is when we read "The End".
Good writing reflects true life as we have to wait and see because there is no guarantee,
And, also, like in true life we find the best part is not reaching the destination but it is in the journey.