Excellence can be attained if you:
- care more than others think is WISE
- risk more than others think is SAFE
- dream more than others think is PRACTICAL
- expect more than others think is POSSIBLE.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Quote
Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately in season and out, avow their sympathies with despised and persecuted ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences.
- Susan B. Anthony
- Susan B. Anthony
Quote
It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.
- Somerset Maugham
- Somerset Maugham
One World
No single tradition monopolizes the truth. We must glean the best values of all traditions and work together to remove the tensions between traditions in order to give peace a chance.
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk and scholar
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk and scholar
From A Million Visions of Peace
My vision for peace... is that there would not be war... that people would respect each other's cultures and religions... that there would be no more hunger... that there would be no more homeless people... that there would be cures for cancer and AIDS... that there would not be any suffering... that all the people on earth would love and care for one another as brothers and sisters as God wants us to.
- Unknown
- Unknown
From A Million Visions of Peace
We already have missionaries that spread the word about God.
Maybe we can have missionaries that spread the word about
Peace in places where they are having wars.
- Shaina, 10, North Carolina
Maybe we can have missionaries that spread the word about
Peace in places where they are having wars.
- Shaina, 10, North Carolina
From A Million Visions of Peace
Every time you see a war,
you could plant a tree in between
the people that are fighting.
- Jennifer, 6, Minnesota
you could plant a tree in between
the people that are fighting.
- Jennifer, 6, Minnesota
From A Million Visions of Peace
To start trying to make peace in this world,
I can start by first trying to make peace in my class.
I can stop hanging out with people who make fun of others.
I think people in my class should stop being so exclusive
And be more inclusive.
- Jackie, 13, Missouri
I can start by first trying to make peace in my class.
I can stop hanging out with people who make fun of others.
I think people in my class should stop being so exclusive
And be more inclusive.
- Jackie, 13, Missouri
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Today
TODAY is here. I will begin with a smile and resolve to be agreeable. I will not criticize. I refuse to waste the valuable time God has given me.
TODAY has one thing in which I am equal with others - time. All of us draw the same salary in seconds, minutes and hours.
TODAY I will not waste time because the minutes I wasted yesterday are as vanished thought.
TODAY I refuse to waste time worrying about what might happen. I am going to spend my time making things happen.
TODAY I am determined to study to improve myself, for tomorrow I may be needed, and I must not be found lacking.
TODAY I begin by doing, and not wasting my time. In one week I will be miles beyond the person I am today.
TODAY I will not imagine what I would do if things were different. I will make a success with what I have.
TODAY I will act toward other people as though this were my last day on earth. I will not wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes.
TODAY has one thing in which I am equal with others - time. All of us draw the same salary in seconds, minutes and hours.
TODAY I will not waste time because the minutes I wasted yesterday are as vanished thought.
TODAY I refuse to waste time worrying about what might happen. I am going to spend my time making things happen.
TODAY I am determined to study to improve myself, for tomorrow I may be needed, and I must not be found lacking.
TODAY I begin by doing, and not wasting my time. In one week I will be miles beyond the person I am today.
TODAY I will not imagine what I would do if things were different. I will make a success with what I have.
TODAY I will act toward other people as though this were my last day on earth. I will not wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow never comes.
As essay on God
One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes these to put in place of the ones that die so there will be enough people to take care of things here on earth. He doesn't make grownups. Just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way He doesn't have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that up to the mothers and fathers. I think it works out pretty good.
God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, and some people, like preachers and things, pray other times besides bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV on account of this. As He hears everything, not only prayers, there must be a terrible lot of noise into His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.
God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere. Which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your parents head and ask for something they said you couldn't have.
Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any In Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to our church.
Jesus is God's son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and doing miracles and trying to teach people about God who didn't want to learn. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him. But He was good and kind like His Father and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said OK. His dad (God) appreciated everything He had done and all His hard work on earth, so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He did. And now he helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing which things are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God with. Like a secretary, only more important, of course. You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to hear because They've got It worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.
You should always go to Sunday School because it makes God happy and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip Sunday School to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong! And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon, anyway.
If you don't believe in God, besides an Atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you like camp, but God can. It's good to know He's around when you're scared of the dark or when you can't swim very good and you get thrown in real deep water by big kids. But you shouldn't always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.
And that's why I believe in God.
- Danny Dutton, age 8, Chula Vista, CA
God's second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, and some people, like preachers and things, pray other times besides bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV on account of this. As He hears everything, not only prayers, there must be a terrible lot of noise into His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off.
God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere. Which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting His time by going over your parents head and ask for something they said you couldn't have.
Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any In Chula Vista. At least there aren't any who come to our church.
Jesus is God's son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and doing miracles and trying to teach people about God who didn't want to learn. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him. But He was good and kind like His Father and He told His Father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said OK. His dad (God) appreciated everything He had done and all His hard work on earth, so He told Him He didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So He did. And now he helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing which things are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God with. Like a secretary, only more important, of course. You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to hear because They've got It worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.
You should always go to Sunday School because it makes God happy and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God. Don't skip Sunday School to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong! And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon, anyway.
If you don't believe in God, besides an Atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you like camp, but God can. It's good to know He's around when you're scared of the dark or when you can't swim very good and you get thrown in real deep water by big kids. But you shouldn't always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases.
And that's why I believe in God.
- Danny Dutton, age 8, Chula Vista, CA
Decide to be peaceful
Decide to be peaceful.
Render others peaceful.
Be a model of peace.
Irradiate your peace.
Love passionately the peace of our beautiful planet.
Do not listen to the warmongers, hate seeders, and power-seekers.
Dream always of a peaceful, warless, disarmed world.
Work always for a peaceful world.
Switch on and keep on, in yourself the positive buttons, those marked love, serenity, happiness, truth, kindness, friendliness, understanding and tolerance.
Pray and thank God every day for peace.
Pray for the United Nations and all peacemakers.
Pray for the leaders of nations who hold the peace of the world in their hands.
Pray God to let our planet at long last become the Planet of Peace.
And sing in unison with all humanity
“Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me.”
- Robert Muller, former UN Assistant Secretary General
Render others peaceful.
Be a model of peace.
Irradiate your peace.
Love passionately the peace of our beautiful planet.
Do not listen to the warmongers, hate seeders, and power-seekers.
Dream always of a peaceful, warless, disarmed world.
Work always for a peaceful world.
Switch on and keep on, in yourself the positive buttons, those marked love, serenity, happiness, truth, kindness, friendliness, understanding and tolerance.
Pray and thank God every day for peace.
Pray for the United Nations and all peacemakers.
Pray for the leaders of nations who hold the peace of the world in their hands.
Pray God to let our planet at long last become the Planet of Peace.
And sing in unison with all humanity
“Let there be peace on earth
and let it begin with me.”
- Robert Muller, former UN Assistant Secretary General
Ideals of Quakerism
Quakerism stands:
For what is right; not what is expedient.
For courage and conviction; not weak submission to incipient evil.
For love and forbearance, not hatred and strife.
For peace and brotherhood among nations, not war and preparations for war.
For cheerful obedience to those in authority; not rebellion to wholesome rule.
For good taste and simplicity; not dead conformity and display.
For neat, tasteful homes, not ostentatious mansions.
For wholesome recreations; not corrupting diversions.
For cordial hospitality; not elaborate entertainments.
For fair and honest dealing; not injustice and avarice.
For moderation in all things; not extravagance in many things.
For pure, everyday living; not spasmodic goodness.
For broad, cultured minds and warm hearts; not selfish intellectualism and coldness.
For wise aid to those in need; not demoralizing charity.
For simplicity in worship; not formality and grandeur.
For sincerity and freedom in belief; not cant and narrowness.
For toleration; not assuming judgement.
For inward revelation of truth; not dogmatic theology.
For faith in God and the divine Christ in men; not works alone, nor faith alone, but works because of faith.
For what is right; not what is expedient.
For courage and conviction; not weak submission to incipient evil.
For love and forbearance, not hatred and strife.
For peace and brotherhood among nations, not war and preparations for war.
For cheerful obedience to those in authority; not rebellion to wholesome rule.
For good taste and simplicity; not dead conformity and display.
For neat, tasteful homes, not ostentatious mansions.
For wholesome recreations; not corrupting diversions.
For cordial hospitality; not elaborate entertainments.
For fair and honest dealing; not injustice and avarice.
For moderation in all things; not extravagance in many things.
For pure, everyday living; not spasmodic goodness.
For broad, cultured minds and warm hearts; not selfish intellectualism and coldness.
For wise aid to those in need; not demoralizing charity.
For simplicity in worship; not formality and grandeur.
For sincerity and freedom in belief; not cant and narrowness.
For toleration; not assuming judgement.
For inward revelation of truth; not dogmatic theology.
For faith in God and the divine Christ in men; not works alone, nor faith alone, but works because of faith.
Kid's Peacemaker Declaration
I am a peacemaker; I talk about it rather than fight about it.
I will walk away from fights and cool off before solving a problem.
I use my hands to help people and not to hurt anyone.
I say 'sorry' when I think I have done something wrong.
I give everyone a chance even if they look different from me.
I am a peacemaker because I know that a more peaceful planet begins with me.
- From Quaker Life, Oct 1998, from Songs for Peacemakers
I will walk away from fights and cool off before solving a problem.
I use my hands to help people and not to hurt anyone.
I say 'sorry' when I think I have done something wrong.
I give everyone a chance even if they look different from me.
I am a peacemaker because I know that a more peaceful planet begins with me.
- From Quaker Life, Oct 1998, from Songs for Peacemakers
The Light Within
Deep within us all
There is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul
A holy place
A divine center
A speaking voice to which we may continually return.
Gladly committing ourselves
Body and soul
Utterly and completely
To the Light Within
Is the beginning of true life.
The Light Within is a dynamic center
A creative life that presses to birth within us.
It illumines the face of God
And casts new glories on the faces of our fellows.
It is a seed stirring to life, if we do not choke it.
It is the Shekinah of the soul.
It is the Presence in the midst;
Here is the Slumbering Christ,
Stirring to be awakened --
And He is within us all.
- adapted from the first paragraph of Thomas Kelly's Testament of Devotio.
Quaker Street Friends, New York Yearly Meeting
There is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul
A holy place
A divine center
A speaking voice to which we may continually return.
Gladly committing ourselves
Body and soul
Utterly and completely
To the Light Within
Is the beginning of true life.
The Light Within is a dynamic center
A creative life that presses to birth within us.
It illumines the face of God
And casts new glories on the faces of our fellows.
It is a seed stirring to life, if we do not choke it.
It is the Shekinah of the soul.
It is the Presence in the midst;
Here is the Slumbering Christ,
Stirring to be awakened --
And He is within us all.
- adapted from the first paragraph of Thomas Kelly's Testament of Devotio.
Quaker Street Friends, New York Yearly Meeting
A Peacemaker's Prayer
God, make me a peacemaker.
When people are fighting, let me help them find a peaceful solution.
When there is not enough to go around, help me to share.
When there are jobs to be done, help me to do them cheerfully.
When my parents give me rules, help me to obey them willingly.
When other people are sad or hurting, help me to be kind to them.
When I play games with my friends, help me to play fair.
When I think about doing something wrong, help me to be honest.
No matter what I do or where I go, help me to be loving.
Amen.
When people are fighting, let me help them find a peaceful solution.
When there is not enough to go around, help me to share.
When there are jobs to be done, help me to do them cheerfully.
When my parents give me rules, help me to obey them willingly.
When other people are sad or hurting, help me to be kind to them.
When I play games with my friends, help me to play fair.
When I think about doing something wrong, help me to be honest.
No matter what I do or where I go, help me to be loving.
Amen.
On the Pursuit of Excellence
One should seek to do his life's work as if God Almighty called him at this particular moment in history to do it. And he must do it with a sense of cosmic responsibility, no matter how small it happens to be. He must do an ordinary job in an extraordinary way. "If you can't be a pine on the top of a hill, be a scrub in the valley, but be the best little scrub on the side of the hill. Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be the sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or you fail. Be the best of whatever you are.
- Martin Luther King Jr
- Martin Luther King Jr
Quote
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, commited citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does.
- Margaret Mead
- Margaret Mead
Earth pledge
I pledge allegiance
To the Earth
And all the life
Which it supports,
One planet,
In our care,
Irreplaceable,
With sustenance
And respect for all.
To the Earth
And all the life
Which it supports,
One planet,
In our care,
Irreplaceable,
With sustenance
And respect for all.
Peace
Peace comes within the souls of men
when they realize their oneness
with the universe.
- Black Elk
when they realize their oneness
with the universe.
- Black Elk
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple love,
It cannot shatter hope,
It cannot corrode faith,
It cannot destroy peace,
It cannot kill friendship,
It cannot supress memories,
It cannot silence courage,
It cannot invade the soul,
It cannot steal eternal life,
It cannot conquer the Spirit.
-- author unknown
It cannot shatter hope,
It cannot corrode faith,
It cannot destroy peace,
It cannot kill friendship,
It cannot supress memories,
It cannot silence courage,
It cannot invade the soul,
It cannot steal eternal life,
It cannot conquer the Spirit.
-- author unknown
Monday, March 30, 2009
Just for today
Today I will live in peace with my God, my neighbor and myself. I will bring peace to my patch of this earth.
Today I will believe that world peace is possible. I will remember that hope is the most important gift I can give my world.
Today I will not be a party to pessimism nor join the indifferent.
Today I will be happy. I will remember that my joy is up to me. I will carry my confidence to all I touch this day.
Today I will love my enemies. I will pray for them. I will try to see our differences from their point of view.
Today I will disarm myself of rage by extending my hand in help and forgiveness.
Today I will know that peace is the child of justice-that peace is more than the absence of war.
Today I will plant a seed of justice in this global village, in my city, in my neighborhood, in my family and in my heart.
Today I will test my love for all those with whom I come into contact.
Today I will test my love of peace by doing one act for peace.
Today I will stand with Christ the Peacemaker.
Today I will believe that world peace is possible. I will remember that hope is the most important gift I can give my world.
Today I will not be a party to pessimism nor join the indifferent.
Today I will be happy. I will remember that my joy is up to me. I will carry my confidence to all I touch this day.
Today I will love my enemies. I will pray for them. I will try to see our differences from their point of view.
Today I will disarm myself of rage by extending my hand in help and forgiveness.
Today I will know that peace is the child of justice-that peace is more than the absence of war.
Today I will plant a seed of justice in this global village, in my city, in my neighborhood, in my family and in my heart.
Today I will test my love for all those with whom I come into contact.
Today I will test my love of peace by doing one act for peace.
Today I will stand with Christ the Peacemaker.
Comfort
If I should die and leave you here awhile,
Be not like others, sore and undone,
Who keep long vigils by the silent dust, and weep.
For my sake - turn again to life and smile
Nerving thy heart and trembling hand to do
Something to comfort other hearts than thine.
Complete those dear unfinished tasks of mine
And I, perchance, may therein comfort you.
Be not like others, sore and undone,
Who keep long vigils by the silent dust, and weep.
For my sake - turn again to life and smile
Nerving thy heart and trembling hand to do
Something to comfort other hearts than thine.
Complete those dear unfinished tasks of mine
And I, perchance, may therein comfort you.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
.......hereafter
Death is a blue butterfly
on sheer fabric wing
chasing images in late day sun
rippling on azure breezes
kissing night shadows with grief
disappearing into blue~black
to await genesis as chrysalis in spring
barbara dick, poet
on sheer fabric wing
chasing images in late day sun
rippling on azure breezes
kissing night shadows with grief
disappearing into blue~black
to await genesis as chrysalis in spring
barbara dick, poet
Friday, March 6, 2009
Dear Overmans ~ this is a great idea. Hopefully this will be a fantastic resource when May rolls around. The following prayer was in our Sunday School material for March 8; I immediately thought of Joan...
“The International Peace Prayer”
Lead me from death to life,
From falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope,
From fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love,
From war to peace.
Let peace fill our hearts,
Our world, our universe. Amen.
Peace,
gary
“The International Peace Prayer”
Lead me from death to life,
From falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope,
From fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love,
From war to peace.
Let peace fill our hearts,
Our world, our universe. Amen.
Peace,
gary
Clarion Call
Death is reprieve from life,
a clarion call
nudging Spirit to a gentler place,
the realm of eternity;
another dimension
where pain does not exist,
a calling for Soul to
surrender earthly life....
by Barbara Dick, poet
a clarion call
nudging Spirit to a gentler place,
the realm of eternity;
another dimension
where pain does not exist,
a calling for Soul to
surrender earthly life....
by Barbara Dick, poet
A Crazy Quilt
A friend sent me this poem "in remembrance of your mother" so I thought I'd include it here...(with my suggestions on editing the first verse.)
A Crazy Quilt
They do not make them any more,
For quilts are cheaper at the store
(If we use this poem, I suggest deleting the next two lines.)
Than woman's labor, though a wife
Men think the cheapest thing in life.
But now and then a quilt is spread
Upon quaint old walnut bed,
A crazy quilt of those days
That I am old enough to praise.
Some woman sewed these points and squares
Into a pattern like life's cares.
Here is a velvet that was strong,
The poplin that she wore so long,
A fragment from her daughter's dress,
Like her, a vanished loveliness;
Old patches of such things as these,
Old garments and old memories.
And what is life? A crazy quilt;
Sorrow and joy, and grace and guilt,
With here and there a square of blue
For some old happiness we knew;
And so the hand of time will take
The fragments of our lives and make,
Out of life's remnants, as they fall,
A thing of beauty, after all.
True peace
True peace cannot be dictated, it can only be built in co-operation between all peoples.
- Yearly Meeting 1943
- Yearly Meeting 1943
To Remember Me
The day will come when my body will lie upon a white sheet neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital busily occupied with the living and the dying. At a certain moment, a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.
When that happens, do not attempt to install artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don't call this my deathbed. Let it be called the Bed of Life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.
Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face, or love in the eyes of a woman.
Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain.
Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.
Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist.
Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.
Explore every corner of my brain.
Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, someday, a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window.
Burn what is left of me, and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.
If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses and all prejudice against my fellow man.
Give my sins to the devil.
Give my soul to God.
If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.
By Robert N Test
When that happens, do not attempt to install artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don't call this my deathbed. Let it be called the Bed of Life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.
Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face, or love in the eyes of a woman.
Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain.
Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.
Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist.
Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.
Explore every corner of my brain.
Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, someday, a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window.
Burn what is left of me, and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.
If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses and all prejudice against my fellow man.
Give my sins to the devil.
Give my soul to God.
If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.
By Robert N Test
Quote
There is a destiny that makes us brothers
None goes his way alone
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own.
- Edwin Markham
None goes his way alone
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own.
- Edwin Markham
Quote on peace
The journey of a thousand leagues
begins with a single step.
So we must never neglect
Any work of peace
Within our reach,
However small.
- Adlai Stevenson
begins with a single step.
So we must never neglect
Any work of peace
Within our reach,
However small.
- Adlai Stevenson
Seek and Reach
Seek and reach
Reach out for the star
Reach so that it’s brilliance
Illuminates and touches you
And all about you
So that now, as in ages past,
His light and mercy and comfort and pity
And patience and peace
Glistens and glows about you
To give you strength and courage,
Now as ever before
That you overcome all that is evil & selfish & weak
That you may be still and feel the soaring presence
Of the true spirit this holy season
Its soul filled hope
Its unconquerable optimism
Its faith overwhelming
So that it may live in you & those you love
So that all, each of us & all of us,
Are transformed by the wonder of his presence
And glory in the dignity of man in a world
Of unity and wisdom & truth & love complete.
Reach out for the star
Reach so that it’s brilliance
Illuminates and touches you
And all about you
So that now, as in ages past,
His light and mercy and comfort and pity
And patience and peace
Glistens and glows about you
To give you strength and courage,
Now as ever before
That you overcome all that is evil & selfish & weak
That you may be still and feel the soaring presence
Of the true spirit this holy season
Its soul filled hope
Its unconquerable optimism
Its faith overwhelming
So that it may live in you & those you love
So that all, each of us & all of us,
Are transformed by the wonder of his presence
And glory in the dignity of man in a world
Of unity and wisdom & truth & love complete.
Quote on teachers
“In a completely rational society, the best of would aspire to be teachers, and the rest of us would have to settle for something less; because passing civilization along, from one generation to the next, ought to be the highest responsibility that anyone could have.”
- Lee Iacocca
- Lee Iacocca
Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Prayer of a Tired Mother
They are asleep, O God, and I am tired; and I want the hush of a half hour with Thee; I want to bathe my soul in the infinite, as workers with dust and sweat plunge into the sea.
Let my hot heart feel Thy vastness, my muddy mind lose itself in Thy crystal wisdom, my bruised love be healed in the waters of Thy love, so calm and deep.
God, I could not bear to be a mother another day if I thought I should be called to account for all mistakes. I would never seek Thee unless I thought Thou wert as forebearing and loveblind as I; but because my own children never come to me without my heart leaping to meet them, so I learn to be very bold toward my Father which is in Heaven. I am all faults, my love trips up my wisdom and my care breeds worry. My sense of expediency makes me disloyal to truth.
One has to be very great and good to be a mother. No one short of God himself could be equal to it, but I love them, God, and I love to climb beside Thy seat.
Teach me Thine own wondrous skill and in due time I may also learn to wait and to suffer and by loving wisdom to circumvent.
I know it is of no avail to tell them anything. I know their little eyes are sharp and see my soul and they copy me; therefore make me good, good in my deepest purpose, good in my desires.
Make me all I want them to be; strong, true, and great hearted. Save me from the irritation of little things.
Give me the inspiring long vision, the sense of perspective so that I may judge between essentials and non-essentials.
Let me be a real mother to my children, mending their souls and fancies, and helping weave their dreams as well as attending to their bodies. Help me to learn wisdom from their dear humanities; the secret of trust in Thee from their trust in me, and keep them from harm. Let them grow up sound and unspoiled, and let them always love me.
Amen.
by Laura Brunner Scott
Let my hot heart feel Thy vastness, my muddy mind lose itself in Thy crystal wisdom, my bruised love be healed in the waters of Thy love, so calm and deep.
God, I could not bear to be a mother another day if I thought I should be called to account for all mistakes. I would never seek Thee unless I thought Thou wert as forebearing and loveblind as I; but because my own children never come to me without my heart leaping to meet them, so I learn to be very bold toward my Father which is in Heaven. I am all faults, my love trips up my wisdom and my care breeds worry. My sense of expediency makes me disloyal to truth.
One has to be very great and good to be a mother. No one short of God himself could be equal to it, but I love them, God, and I love to climb beside Thy seat.
Teach me Thine own wondrous skill and in due time I may also learn to wait and to suffer and by loving wisdom to circumvent.
I know it is of no avail to tell them anything. I know their little eyes are sharp and see my soul and they copy me; therefore make me good, good in my deepest purpose, good in my desires.
Make me all I want them to be; strong, true, and great hearted. Save me from the irritation of little things.
Give me the inspiring long vision, the sense of perspective so that I may judge between essentials and non-essentials.
Let me be a real mother to my children, mending their souls and fancies, and helping weave their dreams as well as attending to their bodies. Help me to learn wisdom from their dear humanities; the secret of trust in Thee from their trust in me, and keep them from harm. Let them grow up sound and unspoiled, and let them always love me.
Amen.
by Laura Brunner Scott
Poem for Memorial Service 6
This I believe:
God has in store for us something far more wonderful than we can even dream or imagine. The fundamental religious motivation is one of trust. I cannot conceive how people can take all of this wonderful world so much for granted and then conceive that when they die they simply become as dead as dust. There simply is nothing like that in the universe any more; dust is not dead. I cannot conceive that one set of laws applies after that which we call death. The same laws must still apply, and if God has so many wonderful things for us in this life, why should we utterly lose faith when it comes to life of some sort beyond this one.
I believe in some kind of immortality. I do not believe that we can spell out it’s details. But we know that the eternal creative powers of the universe care for us very well indeed during this life here on earth. What is beyond lies solely in the realm of trust buttressed by the love of God that we feel in the present.
by W. D. K.
God has in store for us something far more wonderful than we can even dream or imagine. The fundamental religious motivation is one of trust. I cannot conceive how people can take all of this wonderful world so much for granted and then conceive that when they die they simply become as dead as dust. There simply is nothing like that in the universe any more; dust is not dead. I cannot conceive that one set of laws applies after that which we call death. The same laws must still apply, and if God has so many wonderful things for us in this life, why should we utterly lose faith when it comes to life of some sort beyond this one.
I believe in some kind of immortality. I do not believe that we can spell out it’s details. But we know that the eternal creative powers of the universe care for us very well indeed during this life here on earth. What is beyond lies solely in the realm of trust buttressed by the love of God that we feel in the present.
by W. D. K.
Poem for Memorial Service 5
You are wondering how to think about God? I will try to tell you what to think. I love the ocean. But the ocean is very large. There are parts I never saw and know little about. What I know about is the part I see. The ocean has a near end that I do know, but it has a far end also on an unknown shore. God is something like that to me. He has a far end among the stars that I don’t much about. But God touches my life as the ocean touches my feet. I know something about that near end of God. Wherever I find goodness, beauty, truth, and love, there I am certain I am touching God.
by Harry Emerson Fosdick
by Harry Emerson Fosdick
Poem for Memorial Service 4
When I go from hence let this be my parting
Word, that what I have seen is unsurpassable.
I have tasted of the hidden honey of this
Lotus that expands on the ocean of light,
And this I am blessed.
In this playhouse of infinite forms I have
Had my play and here have caught sight
Of him that is formless.
My whole body and my limbs have thrilled
With his touch who is beyond touch – let
This be my parting word.
by Rabindranath Tagore
Word, that what I have seen is unsurpassable.
I have tasted of the hidden honey of this
Lotus that expands on the ocean of light,
And this I am blessed.
In this playhouse of infinite forms I have
Had my play and here have caught sight
Of him that is formless.
My whole body and my limbs have thrilled
With his touch who is beyond touch – let
This be my parting word.
by Rabindranath Tagore
Poem for Memorial Service 3
Remembering thee,
Am I not richer than of old?
What chance can mar the pearl and gold
They love hath left in trust for me?
And while in life’s long afternoon,
Where cool and long the shadows grow,
I walk to meet the night that soon
Shall shape and shadow overflow,
I cannot feel that thou art far away.
by John Greenleaf Whittier
Am I not richer than of old?
What chance can mar the pearl and gold
They love hath left in trust for me?
And while in life’s long afternoon,
Where cool and long the shadows grow,
I walk to meet the night that soon
Shall shape and shadow overflow,
I cannot feel that thou art far away.
by John Greenleaf Whittier
Poem for Memorial Service 2
Father of life, I thank Thee too,
For old acquaintance, near and true;
For friends who came into my day
And took the loneliness away;
For faith that held on to the last;
For all sweet memories of the past –
Dear memories of my dead that send
Long thoughts of life, and of life’s end –
That make me know the light conceals
A deeper world than it reveals.
by Edwin A. Markham
For old acquaintance, near and true;
For friends who came into my day
And took the loneliness away;
For faith that held on to the last;
For all sweet memories of the past –
Dear memories of my dead that send
Long thoughts of life, and of life’s end –
That make me know the light conceals
A deeper world than it reveals.
by Edwin A. Markham
Poem for Memorial Service 1
Peace, my heart, let the time for
parting be sweet;
Let it not be a death, but completeness.
Let love melt into memory and pain
into songs.
Let the flight through the sky be like the
folding of the wings over the nest.
Let the last touch of your hands be
gentle like the flowers of the night.
Stand still, O beautiful end, for a
moment, and say your last word
in silence.
by Rabindranath Tagore
parting be sweet;
Let it not be a death, but completeness.
Let love melt into memory and pain
into songs.
Let the flight through the sky be like the
folding of the wings over the nest.
Let the last touch of your hands be
gentle like the flowers of the night.
Stand still, O beautiful end, for a
moment, and say your last word
in silence.
by Rabindranath Tagore
My Symphony
To live content with small means;
To seek elegance rather than luxury,
And refinement rather than fashion;
To be worthy, not respectable
And wealthy, not rich;
To study hard, think quietly
Talk gently, act frankly;
To listen to stars and birds,
To babes and sages,
With an open heart;
To bear all cheerfully
Do all bravely,
Await occasions, hurry never.
In a word, to let the
Spiritual, unbidden, and
Unconscious grow up
Through the commonplace.
This is to be my symphony.
By William Henry Channing
To seek elegance rather than luxury,
And refinement rather than fashion;
To be worthy, not respectable
And wealthy, not rich;
To study hard, think quietly
Talk gently, act frankly;
To listen to stars and birds,
To babes and sages,
With an open heart;
To bear all cheerfully
Do all bravely,
Await occasions, hurry never.
In a word, to let the
Spiritual, unbidden, and
Unconscious grow up
Through the commonplace.
This is to be my symphony.
By William Henry Channing
Capsule course in human relations (applies to children, too)
Five most important words: I am proud of you
Four most important words: What is your opinion?
Three most important words: If you please
Two most important words: Thank you
Least important word: I
Four most important words: What is your opinion?
Three most important words: If you please
Two most important words: Thank you
Least important word: I
author unknown
Monday, March 2, 2009
Arabian Proverb
A friend is one to
Whom one may pour out
All the contents of one’s
Heart, chaff and grain
Together, knowing that
The gentlest of hands
Will take and sift it,
Keep what is worth keeping and
With the breath of kindness
Blow the rest away.
Whom one may pour out
All the contents of one’s
Heart, chaff and grain
Together, knowing that
The gentlest of hands
Will take and sift it,
Keep what is worth keeping and
With the breath of kindness
Blow the rest away.
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