Realizing Your Dream

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Abigail. I'm eighty seven years old. Can I give you a hug?" I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course, you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked. She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of children, and then retire and travel."

"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age. "I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a coke. For three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Abigail became a campus icon and easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Abigail to speak at our football banquet and I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know." As we laughed she cleared her throat and began:

"We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!

"There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.

"Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets." She concluded her speech by courageously singing The Rose. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives:

"The Rose"

Some say love, it is a river that drowns the tender reed.

Some say love, it is a razor that leaves your soul to bleed.

Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need.

I say love, it is a flower, and you its only seed.

It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance.

It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance.

It's the one who won't be taken, who cannot seem to give,

And the soul afraid of dyin' that never learns to live.

When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long,

And you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,

Just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snows

Lies the seed that with the sun's love in the spring becomes the rose.

At the year's end Abigail finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep. Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

These words have been passed along in loving memory of Abigail. REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.

~Anon~

The Wreck on Highway 109

A drunk man in an Oldsmobile they said had run the light
That caused the six-car pileup on 109 that night;
When broken bodies lay about and blood was everywhere,
The sirens screamed out elegies, for death was in the air.

A mother, trapped inside her car, was heard above the noise;
Her plaintive plea near split the air: "Oh, God, please spare my boys!"
She fought to loose her pinioned hands; she struggled to get free,
But mangled metal held her fast in grim captivity.

Her frightened eyes then focused on where the back seat once had been,
But all she saw was broken glass and two children's seats crushed in;
Her twins were nowhere to be seen; she did not hear them cry,
And then she prayed they'd been thrown free, "Oh, God, don’t let them die! "

Then firemen came and cut her loose, but when they searched the back,
They found therein no little boys, but the seat belts were intact;
They thought the woman had gone mad and was traveling alone,
But when they turned to question her, they discovered she was gone.

Policemen saw her running wild and screaming above the noise
In beseeching supplication, "Please help me find my boys!
They're four years old and wear blue shirts; their jeans are blue to match."
One cop spoke up, ""They're in my car, and they don't have a scratch."

"They said their daddy put them there and gave them each a cone,
Then told them both to wait for Mom to come and take them home;
I've searched the area high and low, but I can't find their dad;
He must have fled the scene, I guess, and that is very bad."

The mother hugged the twins and said, while wiping at a tear,
"He could not flee the scene, you see, for he's been dead a year;"
The cop just looked confused and asked, "Now, how can that be true?"
The boys said, "Mommy, Daddy came and left a kiss for you."

"He told us not to worry and that you would be all right,
And then he put us in this car with the pretty, flashing light;
We wanted him to stay with us, because we miss him so,
But, Mommy, he just hugged us tight and said he had to go."

"He said someday we'd understand and told us not to fuss,
And he said to tell you, Mommy, he's watching over us;"
The mother knew without a doubt that what they spoke was true,
For she recalled their dad's last words, " I will watch over you."

The firemen's notes could not explain the twisted, mangled car,
And how the three of them escaped without a single scar;
But on the cop's report was scribed, in print so very fine:

"An angel walked the beat tonight on Highway 109".

@1999 Ruth Gillis
Source: Inspiration Line

Someone Who Understands

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell.
He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups and
set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard.

As he was driving the last nail into the post,
he felt a tug on his overalls.
He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.

"Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat
off the back of his neck, "These puppies come
from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment.
Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out
a handful of change and held it up to the farmer.

"I've got thirty-nine cents.
Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer.
And with that he let out a whistle.
"Here, Dolly!" he called.

Out from the doghouse and down the ramp
ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.

The little boy pressed his face
against the chain link fence.
His eyes danced with delight.
As the dogs made their way to the fence,
the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.

Slowly another little ball appeared,
this one noticeably smaller.
Down the ramp it slid.
Then in a somewhat awkward manner,
the little pup began hobbling toward the others,
doing its best to catch up...

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.
The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said,
"Son, you don't want that puppy.
He will never be able to run and play with you
like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence,
reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers.

In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down
both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said,
"You see sir, I don't run too well myself,
and he will need someone who understands"

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down
and picked up the little pup.
Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.

"How much?" asked the little boy...
"No charge," answered the farmer,
"There's no charge for love."

The world is full of people who need someone who understands.

Source: Forward

Truly Blessed by Lynn C. Johnson

When I found more pain in othersThan I found within myself
I learned what it meant to feel compassion
And my pain began to fade

When I found more forgiveness in others
Than I found within myself
I learned what it meant to feel peace
And my heart began to mend

When I found more belief in others
Than I found within myself
I learned what it meant to have faith
And my fears began to die

And when I found more love in others
Than I found within myself
I learned what it meant to feel truly blessed
And my spirit began to soar.

~Lynn C Johnson

''Every day we are offered new means for learning and growing in love.'' Leo Buscaglia 

Source: Positive Thoughts

How could I expect more from the universe when I didn’t appreciate what I already had?

The more I focused on lack and on what I couldn’t have, the more depressed I became. The more depressed I became, the more I focused on lack. My soul whispered that what I really yearned for was not financial security but financial serenity. I was still—quiet enough to listen. At that moment I acknowledged the deep longing in my heart. What I hungered for was an inner peace that the world could not take away. I asked for help and committed to following wheresoever Spirit would lead me. For the first time in my life I discarded my five-year goals and became a seeker, a pilgrim, a sojourner.

When I surrendered my desire for security and sought serenity instead, I looked at my life with open eyes. I saw that I had much for which to be grateful. I felt humbled by my riches and regretted that I took for granted the abundance that already existed in my life. How could I expect more from the universe when I didn’t appreciate what I already had?

~Sarah Ban Breathnach~

Source: Positive Thoughts

YOU ARE

You are strong. . . when you take your
grief and teach it to smile.

You are brave. . . when you overcome your
fear and help others to do the same.

You are happy. . . when you see a flower
and are thankful for the blessing.

You are loving. . . when your own pain
does not blind you to the pain of others.

You are wise. . . when you
know the limits of your wisdom.

You are true. . . when you admit
there are times you fool yourself.

You are alive. . . when tomorrow's hope means
more to you than yesterday's mistake.

You are growing. . . when you know what
you are but not what you will become.

You are free. . . when you are in control of
yourself and do not wish to control others.

You are honorable. . . when you find
your honor is to honor others.

You are generous. . . when you
can take as sweetly as you can give.

You are humble. . . when you
do not know how humble you are.

You are thoughtful. . . when you see me
just as I am and treat me just as you are.

You are merciful. . . when you forgive in
others the faults you condemn in yourself.

You are beautiful. . . when you
don't need a mirror to tell you.

You are rich. . . when you never
need more than what you have.

You are you. . . when you are
at peace with who you are not.

There is only one you for all time.
Fearlessly be yourself.

~Anon~

Source: Positive Thoughts

Some important life lessons from The Complete Live and Learn and Pass It On

I've learned that it's never too late to improve yourself. -age 85

I've learned that position can be bought, but respect must be earned. -age 51

I've learned that the best tranquilizer is a clear conscience. -age 76

I've learned that if I want the circumstances in my life to change for the better, I must change for the better. -age 42

I've learned that warmth, kindness, and friendship are the most yearned-for commodities in the world. The persons who can provide them will never be lonely. -age 79

I've learned that beyond a certain comfortable style of living, the more material things you have, the less freedom you have. -age 62

I've learned that attractiveness is a positive, caring attitude and has nothing to do with face lifts or nose jobs. -age 56

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back

I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts.

Source: Positive Thoughts

Tell yourself that you have a good life, count your blessings, and learn to stay positive no matter what

Count your blessings at the end of every day – don’t focus on the problems you’ve faced that day; rather, think of all the good things that happened and the happiness they gave you.

Think of others rather than yourself – when you do things, even the smallest favors, for other people who mean something to you, you feel good about yourself.

Be proactive rather than reactive – instead of fretting over a problem and letting it stress you out, focus on how to resolve quickly and effectively. When your mind is busy trying to find a solution, you stop feeling sorry for yourself and start thinking positively.

Don’t allow your mind to remain idle – it may be clichéd, but it’s also true that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. So stay busy and keep doing something or the other to prevent negative thoughts from creeping in.

Stop negative thoughts before they form completely – if you find yourself becoming depressed because your mind is taking a negative bent, stop those thoughts in their tracks and start consciously thinking of positive things.

Spend time with people who love you and make you feel good about yourself – quality relationships make life worth living.

Anytime you feel that the weight of your burden is hard to bear, talk to a friend or someone with a sympathetic ear – even if they cannot do anything to help you out, just the fact that you have someone on your side is uplifting enough.

And finally, look around you before you start to feel sorry for yourself – there are people in situations that are a hundred times worse than yours, yet they manage to get through each day. 

Source: Positive Thoughts

Raise your standards.

Whatever you wish there was more of , be that.

Whatever you want your relationships and friendships to be , be that.

Whatever you want the world to be , be that.

If you want there to be less fear and more love in the world , start with yourself.

If you want there to be less stress anxiety , depression and tension in the world, start with yourself.

If you want the world to be a more peaceful place, fairer, more generous and compassionate, start with yourself.

"Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is raise your standards. When people ask me what really change my life I tell them that absolutely the most important thing was changing what I demanded of myself. I wrote down all the things I would no longer accept in my life, all the things I would no longer tolerate,, and all the things I aspired to becoming." ~Anthony Robbins

Source: Positive Thoughts

All you have to do is to take one-step at a time

Learn to love yourself enough so that when someone enters your life that treats you negatively, you can stand up for yourself and have the strength to let them go. You can learn that it is okay to say no to anyone who is not willing to treat you with the love and respect you not only want, but also deserve. Have the courage to walk away from anything that does not serve you well. Search for your highest good.

You may be thinking right now, how do I go about this when I do not have the things that would make me content? What is in your world externally is nothing more than a mirror of what is going on internally. So to change the external vision of what your world appears to be, go within and change it there, then the outward vision will change to mirror the inward feelings.

Understand that every new path has a beginning and a first step. To pursue anything new, all you have to do is to take one-step at a time. And that is the step before you. If we learn to feel and believe that we have all that we desire and want in life and accept what has been granted to us, more will come.

It is all about appreciation and gratitude. If you could learn to appreciate and have gratitude by focusing on what is good in your life, more goodness will flow to you. If we complain that we do not have those things, then that is where our focus is and that is what we will continue to attract to us. If we think and imagine having the life we desire, and act and feel as we have it within, it is sure to appear before us.

When negative events occur in your life, if you look for the silver lining in the dark rain cloud, you will learn that good is always flowing toward you, if you have but the eyes to see it. And when you embrace the good that comes from that stormy rain cloud, you are transforming the energy of what you previously deemed as something negative into some positive. When you sing this new song, more "good”" things can flow to you.

Source: Positive Thoughts

To let go is to open a door, and to clear a path and set yourself free

To let go isn't to forget, not to think about, or ignore.  It doesn't leave feelings of anger, jealousy, or regret.

Letting go isn't about winning or losing.  It's not about pride and it's not about how you appear, and it's not obsessing or dwelling on the past.

Letting go isn't blocking memories or thinking sad thoughts, and it doesn't leave emptiness, hurt, or sadness.  It's not about giving in or giving up.

Letting go isn't about loss and it's not about defeat.  To let go is to cherish the memories, but to overcome and move on.  It is having an open mind and confidence in the future.

Letting go is learning and experiencing and growing.  To let go is to be thankful for the experiences that made you laugh, made you cry, and made you grow.  It's about all that you have, all that you had, and all that you will soon gain.

Letting go is having the courage to accept change, and the strength to keep moving.  Letting go is growing up.  It is realizing that the heart can sometimes be the most potent remedy.

To let go is to open a door, and to clear a path and set yourself free.    

~Leonard Jacobson~

"Letting go doesn't mean we don't care.  Letting go doesn't mean we shut down.  Letting go means we stop trying to force outcomes and make people behave.  It means we give up resistance to the way things are, for the moment.  It means we stop trying to do the impossible--controlling that which we cannot--and instead, focus on what is possible--which usually means taking care of ourselves.  And we do this in gentleness, kindness, and love, as much as possible." ~ Melody Beattie

 Source: Positive Thoughts

Recipes For Self-Love

Take full responsibility for your life.
Stop blaming others.
See yourself as the cause of what happens to you.

Do things you like to do.
Don't stay in a job you don't like.
Participate in life at the highest level you can.

Stop terrorising yourself with your thoughts.
Be gentle and kind and patient with yourself.

Give yourself the simple pleasures of life abundantly.
Wear clothes you feel good in, get a massage etc.

Watch what you say. Avoid self put-downs.
Stop being critical of yourself and others.

Take care of your body.
Give it exercise and good food.

Be willing to create a life-style that generates and nourishes self-esteem.
Associate with others with high esteem.

Acknowledge yourself frequently.
Keep a diary of your successes and accomplishments.

Avoid comparing yourself with others.
Remember that it's who we are, not what we do, that's important

Give yourself permission to do nothing periodically.
Schedule time by yourself.

Frequently take deep breaths.
Discover the benefit and pleasure of breathing fully.

Eat first class frequently.
Don't look at the right side of the menu.

Stop trying to change others.
Focus your attention on being the way you want others to be.

Look into a mirror regularly
and say "I love you, I really love you".

Stop feeling guilty and saying "I'm sorry".
See mistakes as valuable lessons and avoid judging yourself.

Consciously generate positive thoughts and feelings of self-love
in place of old thoughts of inadequacy.

Be willing to laugh at yourself and at life.
Stop taking yourself so seriously.

Accept compliments from others without embarrassment.
Don't invalidate their positive thoughts and feelings about you.

Be kind to your mind.
Don't hate yourself for having negative thoughts.
Gently change your thoughts.

Keep your awareness and your thoughts focused
in present time instead of living in the past or future.

Acknowledge others frequently.
Tell them what you like and appreciate in them.

Invest money in yourself.
Go to seminars, workshops and courses that develop your talents.

Make a list of 10 things
you love doing and do them frequently.

Treat yourself as you would treat someone you really loved.
Praise yourself.

Source: Positive Thoughts

After A While

After a while 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 an adult, not the grief of a child.

And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans, and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight. .

After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much.

So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to leave you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure;

You really are strong, you really do have worth.

And you learn, and you learn

With every goodbye you learn.

~Veronica Shoftsall~

Source: Positive Thoughts

How Many Friends Have You?

An old man turned to me and asked, "How many friends have you?"
"Why, ten or twenty friends have I," and I named off just a few.
He smiled a knowing smile at me and sadly shook his head,
"How lucky you must be to have so many friends," he said.

"But think of what you're saying. There's so much that you don't know!
A friend is just not someone to whom you say 'Hello'!
A friend's a tender shoulder on which to softly cry,
A well to pour your troubles down and raise your spirits high.

A friend's a hand to pull you up from darkness and despair,
When all your other so-called 'friends' have helped to put you there!
A true friend is an ally who can't be moved or bought,
A voice to keep your name alive when others have forgot.

But most of all a friend's a heart, a strong and sturdy wall,
For from the hearts of friends there comes the greatest love of all!
So think of what I've spoken, for every word is true.
And answer once again, my child, how many friends have you?"

And then he stood and faced me, awaiting my reply.
I smiled at him and answered, "At least ONE friend have I!"

Thank YOU for being MY FRIEND!

~Author Unknown

BE

Be understanding to your enemies.
Be loyal to your friends.
Be strong enough to face the world each day.
Be weak enough to know you cannot do everything alone.
Be generous to those who need your help.

Be frugal with what you need yourself.
Be wise enough to know that you do not know everything.
Be foolish enough to believe in miracles.
Be willing to share your joys.
Be willing to share the sorrows of others.

Be a leader when you see a path others have missed.
Be a follower when you are shrouded by the mists of uncertainty.
Be the first to congratulate an opponent who succeeds.
Be the last to criticize a colleague who fails.
Be sure where your next step will fall, so that you will not tumble.

Be sure of your final destination, in case you are going the wrong way.
Be loving to those who love you.
Be loving to those who do not love you, and they may change.
Above all, be yourself.

~Anon~

Source: Positive Thoughts

Beliefs

I believe-
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I believe-
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I believe-
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I believe-
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I believe-
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I believe-
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time!

I believe-
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I believe-
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I believe-
That just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I believe-
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe-
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe-
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe-
That our background and circumstances may have influenced
who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe-
That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I believe-
That the people you care about most in life are the essence of life.
Tell them today how much you love them and what they mean to you.

"Our beliefs are so powerful that they color our entire world. We literally see what we believe, but we can--and most of us do fail to take responsibility for what we see, especially what we see within." ~ Hugh Prather.

Source: Positive Thoughts