We are now seeing monstrous and terrible acts,
At the same time, we are seeing inspiring bravery
and above human strengths-
rising up against the monstrous terrible acts.
May peace come soon and make a way
to lift this hour of gloom and heartache.
My heart weighs heavy from what others are going through-
May the children see what "coming together" can really do.
And stop the forces that threaten them so-
Alllowing them to stay in their homes and not having to flee or go.
What is pretending all about?
Is it a form of denial?
That is all too complex for me.
All I know is that to have peace and harmony,
We have to be our own best friend and not pretend,
But keep it real, going with facts not how we feel.
To be true and not pretend,
Is being our very own best friend.
We are the only one that can do that-
to speak of what we see to be the latest fact...
Not saying what we think others want us to say,
But to tell it like it is each and every day.
Keeping it real, not how we feel, and not pretend--
That is being our very own best friend.
Living a life and appreciating who we know and what we have-
while we have them -
is living a wise life, indeed.
Bringing a special contentment and a feeling of "no need".
Time is fleeting, limited resources are depleting-
We have only so much to give for a limited amount of time.
We choose wisely how we spend our time and talents,
Giving our best to do our part to add support and encouragement,
knowing these ways are how we want our time and talents to be spent---
We have feelings of reward and happiness for the life we are living and for what we are giving.
Over and over again, we will have peace of mind in knowing how the years of our efforts went-
Years of gratitude we have known and the love we have shown while truly holding it all so very dear-
Thankfulness that we did what we could do while we could do it,
A lasting peace of mind we live-
This is what living a wise life can give.
Sometimes when I think of making progress, I think of going forward one step at a time-
But then I, also, remember the "tug of war" game.
Progress in the "tug of war" game is made by holding our own-
Or even by pulling back a few steps.
I think that sometimes in life we make progress by just holding our own-
And not being pulled to cross a line we don't want to cross.
We hold our own under pressure-
We hold our own when forces are pulling us to go in a direction we don't want to go.
Progress can be made by going froward-
But progress can. also, be made by holding own under difficult circumstances.
When do we know when something is "O""V""E""R"? Amazingly, just spell the word "OVER".
"O" is for-- going around in circles--no matter which way a person goes it is the same--going in circles "over and over" again-
"V" is for--no matter which way we try to go up we hit a dead end "over and over" again-
"E" is for --- we try up and down and side to side, back and forth--and still we hit a dead end over and over again-
"R" is for --- when we can go in circles and go up and down and still hit dead ends and keep going in circles over and over again.
It is----- "O" "V" "E" "R"----
and the sooner we recognize it the better off we will be.
How to change it?
Change the "O" of "over" to be the "O" of the word "OPEN" and open that door to a better life.
Change the "V" to be the "V" in the word "VALUE" and live a life of self-value.
Change the "E" to be the "E" in the word "EQUALITY" and know everyone is equal.
Change the "R" to be the "R" in "RESPECT" and have the respect that you deserve.
I've heard it said:
"A chain is only as strong as its weakest link."
Individual words and actions link the hours together for each day.
Each day, day after day, add up to reveal weak areas and strong areas in our life.
Instead of working on our links to weaknesses-
let's concentrate on making our strengths even stronger and stronger.
Each link of each hour of each day will be spent pursuing strength.
Kindness is stronger than meanness-- so choose to concentrate on kindness.
Love is stronger that hate so let's concentrate on love.
Hope is stronger than despair so let's concentrate on hope.
Peace is stronger than unrest, worry and anxiety so let's concentrate on peace.
After a while we have hours of the day linking up our strengths of kindness, love, hope and peace.
Also, building on our natural talents and unique special interests for good with a willingness to do our best will add even more strong links to our life.
After time, an entire day is spent linking strength to strength to strength.
The weakness links are not attached to our day
because there is no time for them as the hours are used to make our strengths stronger.
I remember a friend telling me about an interview.
The interviewer asked, "Do you have any questions?"
My friend answered the interviewer with a question, "What are the problems here?"
They had a conversation about the problems with my friend troubleshooting possibilities that could be tried to resolve some problems.
Sometimes our discoveries in life will show us a problem that we need to recognize, address and work towards a solution.
It is an important part of awareness and seeing things in a new and better way for ourselves and for others.
My friend got the job and has brought a lot of beneficial innovation and change to the workplace.
To see someone, achieve a goal is seeing a victory.
The victory is a result of hard work, discipline and willingness to meet the challenge and even the talents of others showing us or the giving of their time and skills to teach or correct problems.
Results, from the victory result- no matter how big or how small it may be- advances the person to the next level and to a new time that had been had hoped for. There will be new and ongoing results from that achievement for the person's own benefit and for the benefit of others in many ways. Willingness to meet a challenge, attaining the victory of the achievement will bring many new discoveries that will be the results from the result of the hard work and effort. There are results within result.
No matter how many Springs, Summers, Autumns and Winters we have the opportunity to live through, there probably won't be two the same.
A wet Spring is different than a dry Spring, Same season of change but different circumstances and settings.
Adapting to changes within a change is an important part of finding new ways that were not needed before.
This gives a time of opportunity that can make us resourceful in ways we didn't know we could do.
It becomes a time of discovery, a time of learning, a time of growing, creativity and a time of knowing more than we knew before. Experiencing this process brings change to us and we become more than we were before. Like the awakening bulbs bringing forth flowers in our yard, we cannot ever tire of seeing the new flowers of Spring and we cannot ever tire of finding new discoveries that challenge us to grow.
Sometimes, we, ourselves are one of the changes within a change.
Let's think about it and apply it to each new season of change we live - that gives more to us to know and will show the challenge for us to grow----changes within change continue on----our whole life long.
Is the glass half empty or half full?
What is that supposed to show?
All I know is that if it is my glass,
Whether it is half empty or half full-
It means it is time for me to drink the rest real slow.
And then decide if a refill is the way want to go.
Sometimes we think that with "give and take" things are one way or the other.
But "give and take" can work together beautifully.
When we take pride in what we are doing-
We give it our best.
To give our best takes pride.
Pride that we keep wanting to do things right.
Pride that we keep being responsible.
To give our best and keep our pride- it is like we have two good friends.
They go hand in hand along our way.
Keeping our pride and giving our best each day-
working together beautifully,
What else can I say?
Whenever we think that life has let us down,
Let's look beyond and then look around.
For there are people to be found-
that have gone through so much and yet they abound.
And for them to have made it through-
Gives encouragement that we can make it, too.
Inspiring encouragement is what they give,
Inspiring encouragement is what they live,
for we can tell, they draw their strength from within themselves- they have a deep well,
To discovery of such encouragement will show,
We have that same ability to rebound more than we know.
An extra tall blue spruce stands under beautiful Kansas skies.
Alone on the prairie surrounded by piles of rocks each evening a shadowy disguise arrives.
I was there when the blue spruce was a small seedling sprout,
Along with an area elderly gardener, both of us wondered how in the rocks this tree came about.
A tree remarkably growing in the center of a rock query is a very unusual sight-
We thought a bird must have dropped the seed while in flight.
The gardener was elderly and frail, but each day poured a pale of water on the seedling tree.
The gardener said to me, "I will water the seedling once a day for a month,
then once a week for a month-
and then once a month, for as long as I can, this I understand."
Then the gardener said, "They tell me that soon I will die- but don't cry,
Cause if there's a way, I'll try to pull the seedling tree up high."
Life called me away, but I carried that moment wherever I went---- to this day-
Now, I am the elderly one, and I have come to see the tree in the middle of the rock query.
Here I stand with a cane in my hand, looking at the most beautiful blue spruce tree I have ever seen-
It is sunset and the shadow of the tree is cascading and hopping over the variation of rocks galore,
Transforming the shadow's view into that of the gardener holding a water pale that is being poured,
This moment, too, I will carry as I go, remembering the gardener saying that a possibility grew,
And knowing that dream of a possibility has come true.
I ask myself; "Do I believe in miracles from above?"
Then I answer, "I believe in the power of love,
And I believe that the power of love is what miracles are made of."
This one-of-a-kind moment had been given to me-
Standing before rocks galore and the nicest blue spruce tree.
All that is within me began to soar-
Seeing that the possibility grew into a one-of-a-kind dream come true,
all within me says, "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You."
Pearls Take Time- is like discovering new and original thoughts that show us more about life or about ourselves that we did not know before. This knowledge enriches our lives in a multitude of ways and we can build on it to find more discoveries about life and about ourselves.
Pearls Take Time- is the ability to spot a pearl moment as it unfolds giving us a rare hard to find one-of-a-kind moment to behold. This pearl moment brings great joy and becomes a special gift of living in the "now".
Pearls Take Time--is knowing that with time and grace a change takes place. Sometimes this change is a perception and a new view that gives peace and acceptance.
Pearls Take Time--is learning to live with what we cannot change. It is the realization that we cannot change others or what they say and do but we can change our own response to not let it affect us..
Pearls Take Time---is living with an attitude of gratitude and having great appreciation for what has been done for good, what is being done for good and for what will be done for the good of all. It is living a life of recognition and awareness of possibilities, options, opportunities and having thankfulness for the greatness of it all.
A very wise person said to me:
"Don't judge the tree standing before us-
Because it is crooked and leans terribly to the West.
Like a backwards letter "C",
Stands this fir tree.
The first of four trees in a row
It is the closest tree to the awning over the entrance door.
It faces the South, its back towards the North and near the building it stands
But oh, so crooked pointing towards the West-
But don't judge the tree because it is doing its best.
I was here at sunrise and saw a surprise,
The awning casts a shadow on the tree
blocking the early morning sunlight.
That is why the tree leans to the West,
It is leaning to the West for the East morning light,
Beyond the shadow of the awning, it leans for the sunlight early each day.
But here within is where wisdom lies before our eyes.
When someone is doing the best that they can-
With the difficult circumstance they have at hand,
Give them the benefit of the doubt
And don't judge them for what conditions has brought to be.
Hear me,
Don't judge the tree that stands before us,
Because it is crooked and leans terribly to the West-
Because it truly is doing its very best."
