"Yes, I am the girl who has discovered the real meaning of success is being grateful." ~ Jenni Pulos

Receive, Learn, Live

Receive everything as a Divine gift to you;
Learn from everything as your gift to yourself;
Live what you learn as your gift to the world.

~ Dr. Steve McSwain

The Small Things

"The foundation of greatness is honoring the small things of the present moment, instead of pursuing the idea of greatness."

~ Eckhart Tolle

~

We are all connected. ".... we cannot hurt another without hurting ourselves, nor help another without helping ourselves." ~ Vernon Howard

Secrets of Nature

"...behind all the discernible concatenations [in peering into the secrets of nature], there remains something subtle, intangible and inexplicable [a force beyond our comprehension]." ~ Einstein

~

Better to be silent than to be a fool ~ Harper Lee, Recluse, Author of To Kill A Mockingbird

Find reserves of strength...

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. ~ Rachel Carson

~

inspiration

"Your innermost sense of self, of who you are, is inseparable from stillness. This is the I AM that is deeper than name and form."

“Look carefully to find out if your spiritual search is a disguised form of ego."

“Break the old pattern of present-moment denial and present-moment resistance. Make it your practice to withdraw attention from past and future whenever they are not needed. Step out of the time dimension as much as possible in everyday life."

"Some may do great things; others may do things that look less significant on the surface. Ultimately what you do is secondary. But how you do it is primary."

- Eckhart Tolle


~

Perfection

"Let the bells ring that still can ring, forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in." ~ Leonard Cohen

~

A Perspective on Guilt

"I don't think being human has any place for guilt. Contrition, yes. Guilt, no. Contrition means you tell God you are sorry and you're not going to do it again and you start off afresh. All the damage you've done to yourself, put right. Guilt means you go on and on belaboring and having emotions and beating your breast and being ego-fixated. Guilt is a trap. People love guilt because they feel if they suffer enough guilt, they'll make up for what they've done. Whereas, in fact, they're just sitting in a puddle and splashing. Contrition, you move forward. It's over. You are willing to forgo the pleasures of guilt." ~ Sister Wendy, Catholic nun best known to the world from her books and television shows on art criticism.

~

Creatures: Compassion and Kindness

"Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission -- to be of service to them whenever they require it. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." ~ Saint Francis of Assisi

'My Religion is simple; my Religion is kindness. ~ Dalai Lama
~

The amount of noise which anyone can bear undisturbed stands in inverse proportion to his mental capacity. ~Arthur Schopenhauer

"Sometimes our light goes out....

....but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light." ~ Dr. Albert Schweitzer

Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of Gratefulness.org

The Greatest Salesman in the World

"Treat everyone you meet as if he or she were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do so with no thought of reward. Your life will never be the same." ~ Og Mandino
~

Life, Pre-existing

"If, instead of identifying ourselves with the work, we feel that the soul of the workman streams through us, we shall find the peace of the morning dwelling first in our hearts, and the fathomless powers of gravity and chemistry, and, over them, of life, pre-existing within us in their highest form." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

A View From Space

After an orange cloud — formed as a result of a dust storm over the Sahara and caught up by air currents — reached the Philippines and settled there with rain, I understood that we are all sailing in the same boat.

~ Vladimir Kovalyonok (Astronaut)

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Circle of Compassion

"Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living beings, we will not ourselves find peace." ~ Albert Schweitzer

~

Nature's Way

Nature's way is simple and elegant.

Everything happens in its own time and place.The river may overflow its banks orit may shrink to a trickle.Seasons of drought and high water are inevitable.But sooner or later, the river will reach the sea.The outcome is certain.No matter how far we stray from our essential nature,we will return to it.Our destiny is to become who we already are.

~ Paul Ferrini

If you amplify everything, you hear nothing. ~ John Stewart, Rally For Sanity

Masks

It is very necessary that a man should be appraised early in life that it is a masquerade in which he finds himself. For otherwise there are many things which he will fail to understand. ~ Arthur Schopehauer

Loneliness

“Loneliness is and always has been the central and inevitable experience of every man.” ~ Thomas Wolfe

"Loneliness is not cured by human company, Loneliness is cured by contact with reality." ~ Anthony de Mello

Some examples of real strength:

- remaining calm in a crisis
- never feeling the need to prove ourselves to anyone
- seeking to solve the problem rather than placing blame
- enjoying self-command regardless of uncertain circumstances
- seeing all setbacks as necessary steps to higher success

~ Guy Finley
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problems, troubles, suffering

As long as we live in this world we are bound to encounter problems. If, at such
times, we lose hope and become discouraged, we diminish our ability to face
difficulties. If, on the other hand, we remember that it is not just ourselves
but every one who has to undergo suffering, this more realistic perspective will
increase our determination and capacity to overcome troubles. Indeed, with this
attitude, each new obstacle can be seen as yet another valuable opportunity to
improve our mind. ~ Dalai Lama

~

From The Alchemist....

"Whenever we need to make a very important decision, it is best to trust to impulse, to passion, because reason usually tries
to remove us from our dream, saying that the time is not yet right. Reason is afraid of defeat, but intuition enjoys life and its challenge." ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

...

Cherokee Fable on Good and Evil

An elder Cherokee was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."

The children thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied,"The one you feed."

"Light is fatal to darkness."

Light does not resist or avoid darkness.

It merely includes it, welcomes it.

Thus, darkness disappears into the light.

Light is not afraid of the shadow

for it knows the appearance of the shadow

is the first sign of illumination.

When the shadow cannot provoke our fear, it has 

no power to undermine us. ~ Paul Ferrni

it has no power to undermine us.

photographs courtesy White Living, Style Hive blogs
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What is love?

"Love is first a state of being and then an outer action. Love is first of all what you inwardly are, and secondly, what you do. It must come in this order, otherwise, it is not love but something masquerading as love." ~ Psycho-Pictography

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Trusting the River

(Photo courtesy of Trip Advisor)

"In your psychological life there is no need to know, for life rolls forward itself." ~ Pathways to Perfect Living
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Wherever You Go, There You Are

Krishnamurti states it this way:

“Why are we clever and ambitious? Is not ambition an urge to avoid what is? Why are we so frightened of what is? What is the good of running away if whatever we are is always there? ... Is it possible to listen without any prejudice, without any conclusion, without interpretation? We are conditioned ... and whatever we listen to is always apprehended through the screen of this conditioning. That is why it is very important to know how to listen. Conflict is the denial of what is; there is no conflict other than that. There is no complexity in what is, but only in the many escapes that we seek.” ~ via Integral Life

...

Forgiveness

". . . Without forgiveness, there can be no ripening of the soul, no authentic way of measuring our spiritual evolution. Therefore, forgiveness is indisputably our passport to divine greatness while we're still engrossed in the experience of our humanity."

"By refusing to forgive ourselves, or someone else, we inadvertently deny ourselves access to the highest sphere of happiness as well as the deepest levels of our essential spiritual nature. I honestly had to take some time to bask in the poignant appreciation of this celestial insight. For you see, I had really relished holding on to my grudges. Some of the best times I could remember were spent nursing my emotional wounds. Now, for the first time, I realized how harboring those grudges only bound my energies to the same people I resented. As a result, my life and theirs would be significantly intertwined until the day I made the decision to open my heart and forgive."

~ Dannion Brinkley, survivor of multiple lightning strikes and near death experiences, speaking on the "astounding beauty inherent in the act of forgiveness" during his second visit to the afterlife.

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In Memory of Mary, 3/12/25 ~ 8/21/07

"Light a candle for those we mourn.

Into a new life they will be born.

Do not look for them at the gravesite.

They are somewhere else radiating their beautiful light.

They have gone to a new world where there is no darkness, no pain.

Their light and essence will always remain.

Light a candle for those who have left this mortal place.

They are free to travel through time and space.

When we think of them, they are near.

When we sit in a beautiful garden. Their voices we hear.

When we listen to a divine symphony,

We close our eyes, their faces we see.

Light a candle for they have not really gone.

With each flickering flame, in your hearts they will always belong."


~ Thank You Mom ~

"If we could only see it ....

... we are at the mercy of absolutely nothing except our own wrong thinking."

"Freedom from heartache and confusion comes by seeing human nature as it is, not as it appears to be on the surface." ~ Inspire Yourself

"Only living from Truth's higher facts can put you into a position where the hostile experiences can't touch you." ~ Vernon Howard

ILLUSION

“By nature, we do not perceive ourselves or others accurately. We magnify the importance of ourselves and diminish that of others. In the beauty of a clear night, however, we look at the stars and feel ourselves small, unimportant, and at peace. On an objective scale, we sense our insignificance. Somehow the realization comforts us. The return of the illusion hurts us, takes our peace away, allows us to magnify slights, rejections, and humiliations as others challenge the illusion of our self-importance with theirs. It is in our human nature that this be so; it is our task to transcend it.” ~ Barry Grosskopf, Hidden In Plain Sight

Complaints

"Unless you are actively fighting a natural disaster or bullets are flying around your head, you should probably tone down the complaints." ~ Trish on Twitter

Hermann Goering (Nazi officer, during his Nuremberg war crimes trial)

"Why of course the people don't want war....That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

Self Importance

"Interesting how a person whose identity is determined by title, social station, & posturing is so frustrated by someone whose isn't." ~ Urban Hermit

Animals

"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian." ~ Paul McCartney

Note: see the movie Earthlings, aka The Vegan Maker. Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, this movie uncovers the horrific, filthy, criminal acts performed on animals every minute of every day in order for us to eat and be fashionable.

“When the heart is right ‘for’ and ‘against’ are forgotten.” – Chuang Tzu

“By nature, we do not perceive ourselves or others accurately. We magnify the importance of ourselves and diminish that of others. In the beauty of a clear night, however, we look at the stars and feel ourselves small, unimportant, and at peace. On an objective scale, we sense our insignificance. Somehow the realization comforts us. The return of the illusion hurts us, takes our peace away, allows us to magnify slights, rejections, and humiliations as others challenge the illusion of our self-importance with theirs. It is in our human nature that this be so; it is our task to transcend it.”

- Barry Grosskopf, Hidden In Plain Sight via Blog From A Hermit

Your Path

Your path has its own simple beauty & mystery.

It is never what you think it is.

Yet it is never beyond your ability to intuit the next step.

Stagnation

"Worms will not eat living wood where the vital sap is flowing; rust will not hinder the opening of a gate when the hinges are used each day. Movement gives health and life. Stagnation brings disease and death."

"...I wish to live...

... without hate, whim, jealousy, envy, fear. I wish to be simple, honest, frank, natural, clean in mind and clean in body, unaffected - as ready to say "I do not know", if it be so, and to meet all men on an absolute equality - to face any obstacle and meet every difficulty unabashed and unafraid. ~ Elbert Hubbard

“The more you know, the less you need."

~ Australian Aboriginal Proverb

START LIFE OVER

"Something anyone can do by starting to love light more than darkness." ~ Vernon Howard

From Secrets for Higher Success...

"An unhappy experience travels in one of two directions. It can
find a cave in our psychic system from where it ventures forth
every so often to attack our peace of mind. Or, it can pass
completely through our psychic system to vanish, to no longer
exist as a threat. Its direction depends upon the individual's
level of awareness. Through self-insight we destroy the caves,
after which unhappy experiences can no longer repeat themselves."

Oxygen

"The analogy I use is the airline analogy – 'Put the oxygen on yourself, before you try to help anyone else.'" ~ Bruce

"The only valuable thing is intuition." ~ Einstein

Toss It Out or Shake it Off

"TOSS OUT Don't argue with problems. That just gives them more life. Learn to toss them out. The only thing to do with a quarrel with someone is to get rid of the quarrel. The only sensible act toward your explosive emotions is to learn to dismiss them. The only right thing to do with loneliness is to toss it out. What if you don't know how to toss out? Ask how long enough and you will know, just as you know how to toss out the contents of a trash box." ~ Secrets of Life

"In 'The Power of Now', I mentioned my observation that after two ducks get into a fight, which never lasts long, they will separate and float off in opposite directions. Then each duck will flap its wings vigorously a few times, thus releasing the surplus energy that built up during the fight. After they flap their wings, they float on peacefully, as if nothing had ever happened." ~ Eckhart Tolle

The Dalai Lama often teaches on a famous Buddhist verse that says:

“All the happiness the world has to offer comes from desiring wellbeing for others. And all the suffering the world has to offer comes from desiring happiness solely for oneself.” Via Goop

"To observe without judgment is the highest form of human intelligence."

~ J. Krishnamurti, philosopher

The cure for anything...

“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea” ~ Isak Dinesen

Struggle is just another word for growth.

"It is okay to be at a place of struggle. Struggle is just another word for growth.

Even the most evolved beings find themselves in a place
of struggle now and then. In fact, struggle is a sure sign
to them that they are expanding; it is their indication of
real and important progress.

The only one who doesn't struggle is the one who
doesn't grow. So if you are struggling right now, see it as
a terrific sign -- and celebrate your struggle."

~ Neale Donald Walsch

Giving

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” ~ Maya Angelou

"Q: I would like freedom from painful thoughts...

A: You may feel that you are compelled to submit to painful
thoughts, but you are not. They are without genuine power.
With psychic awakening, you can stand aside and watch them
pass by, just as you stand on a riverbank and watch a raging
river, while being personally untouched."

The Power of your Supermind, p. 176


Bookstore link at http://www.anewlife.org/html/home.html

Buddha's Brain

"Looking at the larger picture: there are six billion caveman/cavewoman brains on this planet. Those brains are naturally inclined toward calm, contentment, and caring. But evolution has also given them a hair trigger for fear and anger at the least whiff of threat. You see the results on small scales, across dinner tables and office cubicles, and large ones, from shouting matches on cable TV to international conflicts. Our world is poised on the edge of a sword, and the way it tips will depend greatly on whether more people get more skillful with the brain." ~ Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Neuropsychologist, Author of Buddha's Brain

"Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and other great teachers were all born with a brain built essentially like anyone else’s. Then they used their minds to change their brains in ways that changed history." ~ Regina Meredith, Conscious Media Network

What You See Is What You Get

...that it sometimes looks like "one thing after the other,"
but really, it is Blessing After Blessing.

I know, I know...you don't experience it that way. But
that's because you don't see it that way. In this business
of life, "What you see is what you get."

If you think you are looking at struggle, struggle is what
you will experience. If you decide that you are looking
at a gift (even if you can't see it clearing in this exact
moment), a gift is what you will get. Just wait. You'll
see. I mean that literally. You will see.

~ Neale Donald Walsch

Material science isn't the whole picture...

"What do we mean by materialist science? Materialist science takes it as its basic axiom that everything is matter. We have literally managed to train a whole generation of students on the idea that everything is material, but this Newtonian world view that has shaped our understanding for centuries is now giving way to the revelations of quantum physics which goes beyond materialism; to show that consciousness, not matter, is the ground of all being."

~ Amit Goswami, Ph.D., Professor of physics at the University of Oregon’s Institute of Theoretical Science

Every Morning

"My future starts when I wake up every morning...
Every day I find something creative to do with my life."

~ Miles Davis

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

Truth is an Open Door

Truth is a door that remains open.
You cannot close this door.
You can choose not to enter.
You can walk in the opposite direction.
But you can never say:
“I tried to enter, but the door was closed.”
The door is never closed to you or anyone else.

~ Paul Ferinni

“The resistance to a new idea increases as the square of its importance.” ~ Bertrand Russell

So, who or what is in control?

"What if I said no one? Or what about everything, the totality of Life? Same thing, really.

I know that this may sound scary to some of you, and downright crazy to others, but the simple truth is this: life has only gotten more delicious and fun the more I’ve come to accept the truth that we have no control. Much like a surfer riding a wave: you have no control over the wave. Your only job is to enjoy the ride! Namaste."

~ Tom Stine

"Kindness is my Religion" ~ Dalai Lama

Intelligence is the antithesis of confidence

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.

~ Bertrand Russell

Humility

True kindness -- the flowering of patience, compassion, and the quiet, but unshakable strength for which we all aspire -- is only found growing along that uphill path called "humility." ~ Guy Finley

Think for yourself and let others do the same.

The mind, the body and the soul are inseparable...

Each has its own needs if it is to remain healthy. When you remove the obstacles preventing those needs from being met, Healing Happens. ~
Carol Ritberger, Ph.D., Medical Intuitive

My mother once said to me,

"If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." She meant that life would take me — and everyone else — on its own journey: one of changes, unpredictable and unexpected transitions and tough decisions. As soon as I understood I was subject to a bigger plan, the happier and calmer my life became." ~ Ariane de Bonvoison

Presence

"Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry — all forms of fear — are cause by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence." ~ Eckhart Tolle

In the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 have seen no war.

Human Instrument

"The human instrument consists of three principal components: The biological (physical body), the emotional, and the mental. These three distinct tools of perception, in aggregate, represent the vehicle of the individuated spirit as it interacts with the physical dimension of time, space, energy, and matter." ~ Wingmaker

When I despair....

"... I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it always." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Do unto others.....

"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist." ~ Dom Helder Camara, Archbishop of Recife

"The Way of Heaven is to benefit others and not to injure. The way of the sage is to act without competing." ~ Lao Tzu

What can keep us right in any situation?

"Above everything, you must command yourself, and your true self is not your wildly moving thoughts." ~ Berthold Auerbach

I am bound to live by the light that I have.

"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong."

~ Abraham Lincoln

Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat ~ Malcolm Forbes

As Hale Dwoskin of the Sedona Method likes ...

to say: “Feelings are not true, they are not you, and you can let them go.”

Excerpt from tomstine.com

More Einstein....

The most beautiful and most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. ~Albert Einstein
`

RIP Professor Zinn

"If those in charge of our society - politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television - can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves." ~Howard Zinn

He's changed the conscience of America in a highly constructive way. I really can't think of anyone I can compare him to in this respect ~ Noam Chomsky

Trees

"God has cared for these trees,
saved them from drought, disease, avalanches,
and a thousand tempests and floods.
But he cannot save them from fools."
~ John Muir

"It’s not the destination but the journey that matters in the end."

~ Josie Varga, a disabled woman, born with Cerebral Palsy

Beginnings

"What I know for sure is that every sunrise is like a new page, a chance to right ourselves and receive each day in all its glory. Each day is a wonder." ~ Oprah
~

MLK Day

“Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?
~ Martin Luther King
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Haiti

Call 1884074747 State Dept for Haitian Relief --- Text 'Haiti' to 90999 to give.

ALL are citizens of this world:

Text Messaging: Over 10 million dollars donated.

USA: President Obama announced The US government will provide 100 million dollars for aid. The US Navy is also dispatching ships, including an amphibious ship that will serve as a floating hospital. more aid from the US: transport planes, helicopters, 2,000 Marine sand 3,500 soldiers.

China: The Chinese government pledged 1 million dollars. today a Chinese plane landed in Port-au-Prince with a much needed search and rescue team, doctors and supplies.

Russia: Russian president Dmitry Medvedev announced a vast relief effort. Two Russian transport planes already landed in the Dominican Republic carrying a rescue team with heavy equipment, a mobile hospital and other supplies. two more Russian planes are on their way.

Spain: The Spanish government announced it will donate 3 million euro, and it will also send 100 tons of supplies as well as search and rescue teams.

Britain: The British government pledged 10 million dollars. A British search and rescue team. with dogs and heavy equipment, already arrived at the disaster area.

France: France is sending a rescue team and supplies. It was also reported that Three French planes already landed in the area carrying supplies and a mobile hospital.

Germany: Germany announced it will give 1.5 million euro, and also sent a search and rescue team, as well as supplies.

Israel: A fields hospital, including 220 doctors, nurses and soldiers are on their way. Israel reported that the hospital can handle 500 patients a day, and will include operating rooms and maternity facilities.

Canada: The Canadian government donated 5 million Canadian dollars, and is also sending ships, helicopters and relief teams.

Australia: The Australian government has pledged 9.3 million dollars.

Sweden: The Swedish government announced it will donate 6 million kronor, and send medical supplies and tents.

Norway: 40 million Norwegian kroners.

Finland: 1.25 million euro.

The Netherlands: 2 million euro. Italy: 1 million euro.

South Korea: 1 million dollars in aid.

India: 1 million dollars.

More countries that are sending assistance: Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Taiwan, Portugal, Switzerland and Iceland.

More contributors:

The World Bank: 100 million dollars.

The UN: 10 million dollars.

The European commission: 3 million euro.

Irish telecommunications company: 5 million euro.

Live, With a Net

"Leap and the net will appear."

-Attribution unknown

I figure this is under the "nothing ventured, nothing gained" category, but it is a much deeper musing on faith. It sounds great, but boy is it hard to put into action. However, I think we can all reflect on times where we've made profound decisions fairly quickly and those decisions have stayed with us for a considerable time. In many of those cases, the "net" did actually appear. We may not have recognized the "net" as such, but we do realize its precense on reflection.

Experience

“Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.” ~ Aldous Huxley

"Things do not change, we change.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

~

One Candle

"One candle can lighten a thousand other candles without shortening its own life."

Writing one's own script

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day! ~ Edith Lovejoy Pierce