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Blog's Vision: An expanded collection of our classroom "Consider This."
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Inspirational Category: 228 Entries
March 16, 2011
An Instrument of Peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your 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.
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.
Amen.
—attributed to the 13th-century saint Francis of Assisi
Source: Wikipedia's Prayer of Saint Francis
See also: ~ Francis of Assisi
January 1, 2011
New Doors
When one door of happiness closes, another one opens: but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us....
—Helen Keller
Source: Quotablecards.com
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating
November 10, 2010
Simplicity
Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.
—Plato
Source: Presentation Zen Design: Simple Design Principles and Techniques to Enhance Your Presentations [Paperback] by Garr Reynolds 2010 New Riders ISBN-13: 978-0321668790
See also: Garr's blog at http://presentationzen.com
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Profound
September 19, 2010
Life's Journey
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting '....holy crap....what a ride!' —George of Kenny & Ziggy's Restaurant, Houston, TX
Source: George was our waiter at Kenny & Ziggy's Deli in Houston, Texas the weekend of my Mom's 90th birthday in September, 2010. He told us that he was a heart transplant recipient, and one of his elderly customers gave him this quote after his successful recovery from his surgery.
September 1, 2010
Bring on That Dream World
There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.
—Douglas Everett
Source: Inspired Quote of the Week email subscription from Compendium, Inc.
See also:
> Douglas Everett on Wikipedia
June 11, 2010
we must rise with the occasion
It is not "Can any of us imagine better?" but "Can we all do better?" Object whatsoever is possible, still the question recurs, "Can we do better?" The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.
—Abraham Lincoln
Source: Abraham Lincoln , Second Annual Message [to Congress] December 1, 1862
> John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters, The American Presidency Project [online]. Santa Barbara, CA. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=29503.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating
May 31, 2010
Five Lessons of Winston Churchill's Life
Winston Churchill led a full life, and few people are ever likely to equal it—its amplitude, variety, and success on so many fronts. But all can learn from it, especially in FIVE ways.
~ The first lesson is: always aim high.
~ Lesson number two is: there is no substitute for hard work.
~ Third, and in its way most important, Churchill never allowed mistakes, disaster—personal or national—accidents, illnesses, unpopularity, and criticism to get him down.
~ Fourth, Churchill wasted an extraordinarily small amount of his time and emotional energy on the meanness of life: recrimination, shifting the blame onto others, malice, revenge seeking, dirty tricks, spreading rumors, harboring grudges, waging vendettas.
~ Finally, the absence of hatred left plenty of room for joy in Churchill's life.
—Paul Brown
Source: Churchill by Paul Johnson. Viking 2009 ISBN: 978-0-670-02105-5
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound | Teaching
May 5, 2010
Magical Things
The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits
to grow sharper.
—Eden Phillpotts
Source: Inspired Quote of the Week email subscription from Compendium, Inc.
See also: > Eden Phillpotts on Wikipedia
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound | Teaching
March 14, 2010
Give Yourself a Daily Gift
Some teachers (and trainers, too) turn to poetry for inspiration and encouragement. I certainly do.
Here are some links that can provide a daily fix of poetry. Try them, you'll like it!
> Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac,
http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/
> Poetry Daily, http://poems.com/
> Poetry 180: A poem a Day for American High Schools,
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/
> Robert Pinsky’s Favorite Poem Project includes videos of poems being read,
http://www.favoritepoem.org/videos.html.
> Poetry readings from Bill Moyer’s Fooling with Words
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/foolingwithwords/main_video.html
> The Academy of American Poets has a listening booth where you can hear poets read
their work http://www.poets.org/booth/booth.cfm
Source: Teaching with Fire: Poetry that Sustains the Courage to Teach Sam M. Intrator & Megan Scribner, editors. Jossey-Bass 2003 ISBN: 0-7879-6970-2
See also: The Courage to Teach programs
February 6, 2010
Your Tribe; Do You Know It?
Our tribe members are those people who accept us as we are and gladly accompany us on our journeys of evolution.
—Daily OM for Friday, 5 Feb. 2010
Source: Daily OM for Friday, 5 Feb. 2010, Finding Your Tribe; Your Allies On Life’s Journey.
> See also: Men's Work: The Chesapeake Men's Gathering.
More like this: Ancient Thoughts | DailyOM | Inspirational
November 2, 2009
Use Me Thoroughly Up!
I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no "brief candle" for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
—George Bernard Shaw
Source: Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac for Monday, November 2, 2009.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Profound
July 22, 2009
To Be Real
Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.
—Margary Williams Bianco in The Velveteen Rabbit
Source: Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor Wednesday, July 22, 2009.
It is the birthday of author Margery Williams Bianco, born Margery Williams in London, England in 1881. She's the author of the classic children's book The Velveteen Rabbit (1922). She died on September 4, 1944 in New York City.
June 11, 2009
Be Open to New Ideas
Never stop learning and adapting. The world will always be changing. If you limit yourself to what you knew and what you were comfortable with earlier in life, you will grow increasingly frustrated as you age.
—David Niven, Ph.D. in Be Open to New Ideas: Number 13 of The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People
In research on older Americans, what predicted satisfaction more than finances or the state of their current relationships was their willingness to adapt. If they were willing to chnage some of their habits and expectations, their happiness was maintained even when their circumstances changed. Those who were resistant to change, on the other hand, were less than one-third likely to feel happy.
—Clark, F., M. Carlson, R. Zemke, F. Geyla, K. Patterson, and B. L. Ennevor. 1996. "Life Domains and Adaptive Strategies of a Group of Low Income, Well Older Adults." American Journal of Occupational Therapy 50:99.
Source: The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It. by David Niven, Ph.D. 2000 HarperCollins ISBN: 0-06-251650-7
See also: Country Inns & Suites by Carlson Read & Return It program.
WashingtonPost.com's Faces of the Fallen: By Service: Navy
U.S. Service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
February 17, 2009
Happy 114th Birthday, Banjo Paterson
I have gathered these stories afar
In the wind and the rain,
In the land where the cattle-camps are,
On the edge of the Plain.
On the overland routes of the west,
When the watches were long,
I have fashioned in earnest and jest
These fragments of song.
They are just the rude stories one hears
In sadness and mirth,
The records of wandering years --
And scant is their worth.
Though their merits indeed are but slight,
I shall not repine
If they give you one moment's delight,
Old comrades of mine.
—A. B. "Banjo" Paterson Prelude
Source: University of Queensland (Australia) online edition of Prelude from The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses first published in 1895.
See:
> It is the birthday of the poet, journalist, and songwriter Banjo Paterson born Andrew Paterson in Narrambla, Australia in 1864. He passed away on 5 February 1941 in Sydney, Australia. See Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac for Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009
> The biography of Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson by the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition
> A wonderful article about Banjo online in the National Geograohic Magazine by Roff Smith Australia's Bard.
> He is one of my most favorite poets and I have a number of entries devoted to him here on my blog, "Consider this."
• Clancy of the Overflow
• Banjo's 'The Man from Ironbark'
• Happy Birthday, Banjo Paterson (2008)
• The Old Australian Ways
• Flowing Beards are All the Go
• When My Hair is Grey?
• Mulga Bill's Bicycle
• Happy Birthday, Mom
More like this: Australia | Famous People | Inspirational | Memorized Poetry | Poetry
February 12, 2009
Presidential Leadership
Roosevelt's point was plain: Government counts, and in the right hands, it can be made to work. Strong federal action, not just private voluntary efforts and the invisible hand of the marketplace, was required to help those stricken in an emergency. The American people expected and deserved leadership in addressing their hardships, not just from state and local authorities, but from the White House. This fundamental insight would guide politicians and help millions of people in the years ahead, but it was lost on others, who ignored the lessons of Franklin Roosevelt at their peril.
—Jonathan Alter
Source: The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope by Jonathan Alter page 299 Simon & Schuster Paperbacks 2006 ISBN-13: 978-0-7432-4600-2.
See also:
> The White House.
>: The White House.gov > Biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt Thirty-Second President of the United States.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Poetry | Profound | Teaching
January 20, 2009
Change Has Come to the USA
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.
Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
—Barack H. Obama, President of the United States, extract from his First Inaugural Address
Source: President Obama's Inaugural Address at WhiteHouse.gov and a copy of his Inaugural Address published in the Washington Post, January 20, 2009.
See also:
> President Obama's first proclamation, A National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, January 20, 2009, Washington, DC, USA
> Elizabeth Alexander's Inaugural Poem Praise song for the day.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Pres. Obama | Profound
January 17, 2009
Recognize and Respect Differences
It is well, when judging a friend, to remember that he is judging you with the same godlike and superior impartiality.
—Arnold Bennett
There are no little events in life, those we think of no consequence may be full of fate, and it is at our own risk if we neglect the acquaintances and opportunities that seem to be casually offered, and of small importance.
—Amelia Barr
Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.
—Martin Luther King, Jr.
Nothing is ever lost by courtesy. It is the cheapest of pleasures, costs nothing, and conveys much. It pleases him who gives and receives and thus ... is twice blessed.
—Erastus Wiman
Source: The Little Book of Positive Quotations compiled by Steve Deger and Leslie Ann Gibson. 2006 Fairview Press ISBN-13: 978-1-57749-158-3
December 9, 2008
Take His Pot-Shot, Please!
I'm not getting paid much for staying alive but it's good experience.
— Ashleigh Brilliant
Source: The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor for Tuesday, December 9, 2008
See also:
> Today is the birthday of cartoonist, humorist, and poet Ashleigh Brilliant, born in London (1933). He's best known for his "Pot-Shots," sayings and one-liners that are never more than 17 words. He illustrates them with pen-and-ink drawings. You can buy his illustrated pot-shots from him online at AshleighBrilliant.com.
More like this: Humorous | Inspirational | Poetry | Teaching
November 19, 2008
Dedicated to President-Elect Barack Obama
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that "all men are created equal"
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it, as a final resting place for those who died here, that the nation might live. This we may, in all propriety do. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow, this ground -- The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have hallowed it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here; while it can never forget what they did here.
It is rather for us, the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that, from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here, gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve these dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people by the people for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
—Abraham Lincoln November 19, 1863
Source: U.S Library of Congress's Transcript of the "Nicolay Draft" of the Gettysburg Address
See also:
> University of Oklahoma Law Center's U.S. Historical Documents Collection
> Read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address on this blog, Consider This.
> My Nov. 19, 2005 entry on this blog Path of American Destiny.
> My Nov. 19, 2006 entry on this blog Gettysburg Address Anniversary
> The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor for Wednesday, November 19, 2008
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
November 5, 2008
The Year of Jubilee is Come
Blow ye the trumpet, blow!
The gladly solemn sound
Let all the nations know,
To earth's remotest bound:
The year of jubilee is come!
The year of jubilee is come!
Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.
—Charles Wesley's hymn Blow ye the trumpet, blow
Source: In Our Lifetime by Henry Louis gates, Jr. published Nov. 4, 2008 on TheRoot.com wherein Mr. Gates considers the meaning of the Presidential election of Barack Obama on Nov. 4, 2008.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
September 22, 2008
Dent the Universe!
Let's make a dent in the universe.
—Steve Jobs
Source: Saturday/Sunday, September 20/21, 2008 Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes 2008 Calendar by Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-6680-0
September 4, 2008
Hunger for Life That Gnaws in Us All
I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of hunger for life that gnaws in us all.
—Richard Wright
Source: Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac for Thursday, September 4, 2008.
> It is the birthday of American novelist Richard Wright born on a farm near Roxie, Mississippi in 1908. He died November 28, 1960 (aged 52) in Paris, France.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating
August 28, 2008
Only Love! (Again)
There are only 4 questions of value in life, Don Octavio:
What is sacred?
Of What is the spirit made?
What is worth Living for? and
What is worth Dying for?
The answer to each is the same: only Love!
----Don Juan DeMarco (played by Johnny Depp) to Don Octavio (played by Marlon Brando)
in the film Don Juan DeMarco
Source: Elise's Wonderful, Inspirational Collection of Quotes, and Poetry, and Sayings
> Because this resonants so strongly with me, this is the second posting of this quote. See my earlier (2004) post, Only Love!
July 15, 2008
Is Your Aim Too High?
The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.
—Michaelangelo
Source: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes 2008 Calendar by Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-6680-0
More like this: Ancient Thoughts | Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
June 9, 2008
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
A Spitfire like the one flown by John Magee
He was flying Spitfire VZ-H, serial number AD-291 on Dec. 11, 1941.
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds,—and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air….
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark nor ever eagle flew—
And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
— JOHN G. MAGEE, JR., “High Flight,” September 3, 1941.
Source: Bartleby.com's Respectfully Quoted: A Dictionary of Quotations 603.John Gillespie Magee, Jr. (1922–41)
See also:
> It is the birthday of John Gillespie Magee, Jr. He was born in 1922 in Shanghai, China, of missionary parents—an American father and an English mother—and spoke Chinese before English. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in late 1940. In Britain he flew in a Spitfire squadron and was killed on a routine training mission on December 11, 1941. He wrote the above sonnet and sent it to his parents on a back of a letter.
June 3, 2008
Focus on the World's Hope
Focus not on the world's tragedies, but on the world's hope.
Many sad things happen in our world, but rather than focusing on them, have hope for the future. Think of the world's potential. Perhaps the future holds the curing of diseases, the end of violence, the amelioration of poverty and hunger.
—David Niven, Ph.D. in Focus not on the world's tragedies, but on the world's hope: Number 84 of The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People
Over nine in ten Americans are uncomfortable or worried about aspects of the world and society. The difference between more and less happy people is what they do with that discomfort. Less happy people wallow in the problems they see, while happier people focus on potential improvements in the future.
—Garrett R. 1996. "Wisdom as the Key to a Better World." In Contemporary Issues in Behavior Therapy New York: Plenum.
Source: The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It. by David Niven, Ph.D. 2000 HarperCollins ISBN: 0-06-251650-7
See also: Country Inns & Suites by Carlson Read & Return It program.
WashingtonPost.com's Faces of the Fallen: By age: 34-year-olds
U.S. Service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
April 28, 2008
Do You Keep the Channel Open?
There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.
—Martha Graham
Source: Garr Reynold's blog: Presentation Zen, April 12, 2008 entry Ichi-nichi issho: Each day is a lifetime
See also:
> The incredibly inspiring The Last Lecture | Randy Pausch and the lecture itself :
(about 76 minutes you can't miss!)
Update: July 25, 2008
Randy Pausch, 47, Dies; His ‘Last Lecture’ Inspired Many to Live With Wonder
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
Published: July 26, 2008 (NY Times Online)
Dr. Pausch was the Carnegie Mellon University professor whose “last lecture” made him a Lou-Gehrig-like symbol of the beauty and briefness of life.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Profound
March 20, 2008
Love: Not Perfect Caring
Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.
—Fred Rogers
Source: The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers 2003 ISBN 1-4013-0106-1
Today is the birthday of Fred Rogers, producer, writer, puppeteer, composer, lyricist, ordained minister and devoted student of child development. Mister Rogers was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1928. He died on February 27, 2003 at his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
See also:
> Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac for Thursday, Mar. 20, 2008
> Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
> About Fred Rogers
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Profound
March 18, 2008
Pursue a dream
What do you pack to pursue a dream, and what do you leave behind?
—Sandra Sharpe
Source: Reach for the Stars window card series, by Compendium, Inc.
March 3, 2008
Who, if not I?
I am the wind on the sea.
I am the ocean wave.
I am the sound of the billows.
I am the seven-horned stag.
I am the hawk on the cliff.
I am the dewdrop in sunlight.
I am the fairest of flowers.
I am the raging boar.
I am the salmon in the deep pool.
I am the lake on the plain.
I am the meaning of the poem.
I am the point of the spear.
I am the god that makes fire in the head.
Who levels the mountain?
Who speaks the age of the moon?
Who has been where the sun sleeps?
Who, if not I?
—The Song of Amergin
Source: Speaking of Faith Public Radio show of Feb. 28, 2008 (and repeated on Sunday, Mar. 2, 2008) The Inner Landscape of Beauty | Program Particulars, a program interviewing the late Celtic poet John O'Donohue.
See also:
> Amergin, Amirgin, Amairgen by Dedanaan: Myth Is What We Call Other People's Religion.
> Short biographical sketch of John O'Donohue.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Poetry | Profound
February 14, 2008
Finish Each Day
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Source: Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes Daily calendar Thursday, February 7, 2008 Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN-13: 9780-7407-6680-0
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Teaching
January 7, 2008
Falling from High Places
A fall from the third floor hurts as much as a fall from the hundredth. If I have to fall, may it be from a high place.
—Paulo Coelho
Source: Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail Again. Fail Better. Herter Studio. Running Press. 2006 ISBN 13: 978-0-7624-2514-3
See also:
> Official site of Paulo Coelho
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound | Spiritual
January 4, 2008
Giving Credit
If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
—Sir Isaac Newton
Source: Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac for Friday, January 4, 2008
It is the birthday of Sir Isaac Newton who was born in Woolsthorpe, England in 1643. He died on 31 March 1727 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
See also:
> The BBC's Historic figures: Isaac Newton
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Teaching
January 2, 2008
Loving Ourselves
When we love ourselves, we refuse to allow others to manage our emtions from afar. Forgiveness is our means to that end.
Source: Everyday Wisdom by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer published by Hay House 1993 ISBN 1-56170-076-2
See also:
> Dr. Dyer's Official Web site
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Spiritual
December 28, 2007
Purpose: What?
Your purpose is always about giving, loving and serving in some capacity.
—Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Source: Everyday Wisdom by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer published by Hay House 1993 ISBN 1-56170-076-2
See also:
> Dr. Dyer's Official Web site
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Profound
October 31, 2007
Making Mistakes and Feeling Good About Them
While one person hesitates because he feels inferior; the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.
—Henry C. Link
Source: The Portable Life 101: 179 essential lessons from the New York Times bestseller Life 101: Everything We Wish We Had Learned in Life In School—But Didn't by Peter McWilliams 1995 ISBN: 0-931580-41-2
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
October 29, 2007
Human Doing?
You are not a human doing but rather a human being.
—Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Source: Everyday Wisdom by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer published by Hay House 1993 ISBN 1-56170-076-2
See also Dr. Dyer's Official Web site
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
September 26, 2007
Our Own Behavior
We create our fate every day . . . most of the ills we suffer from are directly traceable to our own behavior.
—Henry Miller
Source: The Best Liberal Quotes Ever: Why the Left is Right by Wlliam Martin. Sourcebooks, Inc. 2004 ISBN: 1-4022-0309-8
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound | Teaching
July 12, 2007
Children Never Listen
children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they never fail to imitate them.
—James Baldwin
Source: A Hand to Guide Me: Legends and Leaders Celebrate the People Who Shaped Their Lives by Denzel Washington, Meredith Books 2006 ISBN 13: 978-0-696-23049-3
More like this: Famous People | Grandparenting | Inspirational | Profound
July 3, 2007
Sleep, Perchance to Dream
All our dreams are going to come true,
so we better have some good dreams.
—Joe Davis, biotech artist associated with MIT
Source: Java House counter on July 3, 2007.
Java House
210 W Evergreen Blvd # 400
Vancouver, WA 98660
(360) 737-2925
See also:
⇒ Viweing Space's Joe Davis: Genetics and Culture
WashingtonPost.com's Faces of the Fallen: By age: 36-year-olds
U.S. Service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
June 25, 2007
Getting Up in the Morning
I get up every morning determined both to change the world and to have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning the day difficult.
—E. B. White, writer (1899–1985)
Source: Java House counter on June 25, 2007.
Java House
210 W Evergreen Blvd # 400
Vancouver, WA 98660
(360) 737-2925
See also:
⇒ Wikipedia's E.B. White
WashingtonPost.com's Faces of the Fallen: By age: 35-year-olds
U.S. Service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
More like this: Famous People | Humorous | Inspirational
June 11, 2007
The Nature of Courage
Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared.
—Eddie Rickenbacker
Source: The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader by John C. Maxwell 1999. Thomas Nelson, Inc. ISBN: 0-7852-7440-5, page 39.
See also:
⇒ Auburn University's biographical sketch, Edward Vernon "Eddie" Rickenbacker.
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
—Eleanor Roosevelt
Source: The Quotations Page on Eleanor Roosevelt.
See also:
⇒ Biography of Eleanor Roosevelt at WhiteHouse.gov.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating
June 1, 2007
Don't Give Up the Ship
USS Lawrence (DDG-4) underway
USS Lawrence (DDG-4) underway near Cape Henry, VA May 3, 1973. DDG-4 was one of five US Navy ships named in honor of Captain James Lawrence, War of 1812 naval hero.
Fight her 'til she sinks and don't give up the ship
—James Lawrence, Captain, USN
Source: New York Times On This Day for June 1, 2007: See 1813.
See also:
⇒ Wikipedia's James Lawrence.
⇒ Wikipedia's USS Chesapeake.
WashingtonPost.com's Faces of the Fallen: By Age / 25-year-olds
U.S. Service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
May 29, 2007
Even Better
Just when you think you know exactly how it's going — it gets even better.
—Unknown
Source: Java House counter on May 29, 2007.
Java House
210 W Evergreen Blvd # 400
Vancouver, WA 98660
(360) 737-2925
May 25, 2007
We the People
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and
our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of
America.
—Preamble to the United States Constitution
Source: The National Archives US Constitution Transcript.
⇒ It was on this day in 1781 that the Constitutional Convention convened in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the time, Independence Hall was the Pennsylvania State House.
See also:
⇒ The National Archives Constitution of the United States: A History.
WashingtonPost.com's Faces of the Fallen: By Age / 24-year-olds
U.S. Service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
May 23, 2007
Letters We Should Have Burned
'Lives' of great men oft remind us as we o'er their pages turn,
That we too many leave behind us –
Letters that we ought to burn.
—Thomas Hood
Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac for Wednesday, May 23, 2007.
See also:
⇒ Wikipedia's Thomas Hood who was born on this day in London in 1799. He died on May 3, 1845 in Camberwell, England.
⇒ Consider This March 10, 2004 entry Lives Sublime quote by Longfellow.
WashingtonPost.com's Faces of the Fallen: By Age / 23-year-olds
U.S. Service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Poetry | Teaching
May 18, 2007
Fear Thought?
Mount St. Helens in early morning sunlight
Today is the 27th anniversary of the Sunday morning eruption of this Cascade Mountain range volcanoe in Southwest Washington. Photo grabbed 0748 May 18, 2007.
Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth—more than ruin—more even than death. ... Thought is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege, established institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid. Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the world, and the chief glory of man.
—Bertrand Russell
Source: Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac for Friday, May 18, 2007.
WashingtonPost.com's Faces of the Fallen: By Age / 22-year-olds
U.S. Service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
May 17, 2007
Accept Our Family
Some families are better than others at preparing us for the world. What we learn from our families, even if they are simply blank spots on our family trees, becomes the basis of our identities as individuals. Rather than denying our connections, we can choose to accept their presence in our lives. Acceptance does not mean we have to like them; we simply acknowledge that we are connected to them and honor that connection for like it or not, there is a reason. When we can embrace all that they bring into our experience, we may be grateful for all we have learned from them and have to learn, while we experience everything that comes with family fully and completely.
—extract from the DailyOM for Thursday, May 17, 2007
Source: For the entire contemplation visit: DailyOM Gifts From The Universe: Accepting Your Family published Thursday, May 17, 2007.
More like this: DailyOM | Inspirational | Love | Profound
May 10, 2007
Tears and Sweat
All I have to offer is blood, toil, tears, and sweat.
—Winston Churchill, Acceptance Speech, 1940
Source: Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac for Thursday, May 10, 2007
⇒ It was on this day in 1940 that Winston Churchill took power as the prime minister of Great Britain, a position he would hold for the rest of World War II. He came to power at a very dark moment for Europe. In less than two years, almost all of Western Europe's mainland was either controlled by or allied with Nazi Germany. And then, on this day in 1940, Churchill became the prime minister.
⇒ See also: NobelPrize.org's Winston Churchill – Biography, Churchill was awarded The Nobel Prize in Literature for 1953
WashingtonPost.com's Faces of the Fallen: By Age / 20-year-olds
U.S. Service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
April 10, 2007
Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah's Ark.......
01: Don't miss the boat.
02: Remember that we are all in the same boat!
03: Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
04: Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do
something really big.
05: Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be
done.
06: Build your future on high ground.
07: For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
08: Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with
the cheetahs.
09: When you're stressed, float awhile.
10: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by
professionals.
11: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a
rainbow waiting.
—Unknown
Source: Daily email "humorous" subscriptions, Tuesday's Humor -- 10 Apr 2007 by Robert Karas.
⇒ April 10, 1912: RMS Titanic departs Southampton, England on its maiden voyage bound for Cherbourg, France; Queenstown, Ireland; and New York City, New York, USA.
April 6, 2007
End of Triumph
Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew.
It's the same when love comes to an end,
or the marriage fails and people say
they knew it was a mistake, that everybody
said it would never work. That she was
old enough to know better. But anything
worth doing is worth doing badly.
...
I believe Icarus was not failing as he fell,
but just coming to the end of triumph.
—Jack Gilbert in his poem Failing and Flying
Source: Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac for Friday, April 6, 2007. The poem, Failing and Flying is included in Gilbert's book, Refusing Heaven.
WashingtonPost.com's Faces of the Fallen: Army
U.S. Service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
April 5, 2007
Keep Reading
Those who read books benefit from what they learn and the entertainment they receive. But, in addition, they get to exercise their brain, and when we do that, we feel satisfied that we are spending our time wisely.
—David Niven, Ph.D. in Keep Reading: Number 94 of The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People
Reading engages the mind. Reading materials, by exercising our memory and imagination, can contribute to happiness in ways similar to active positive thinking. Regular readers are about 8 percent more likely to express daily satisfaction.
—Scope E. 1999. "A Meta-Analysis of Research on Creativity." Ph.D. diss., Fordham University, New York, NY.
Source: The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It. by David Niven, Ph.D. 2000 HarperCollins ISBN: 0-06-251650-7
See also: Country Inns & Suites by Carlson Read & Return It program.
WashingtonPost.com's Faces of the Fallen: Army National Guard
U.S. Service members who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
March 15, 2007
Run for It
What I admire is her optimism. Rationally considered, she could not have packed all her stuff into the house in one trip. But there are times when people will not accept rational limitations. Go for it. Because you just might pull it off. And she did. Mostly.
What's this about?
In such moments as these I see the pilot light of reckless courage fire reserves of fuel to meet the small challenges of daily life. A stubborn refusal to accept obvious limitations. A delight in taking risks and defying odds. She didn't notice me across the street. It wasn't a performance, but an innate personal response to a challenge. It's a miniscule example of what's brought to bear in far more heroic situations. People run into burning buildings to save a life out of the same inclination. It's just a matter of scale.
That's a good thing about us. Something to like. What seems improbable just might be possible. More often than not, given the options, we don't play it safe and dry.
We run for it.
—Robert Fulghum
Source: RUN FOR IT published March 05, 2007, Written Sunday, March 4, 2007 Seattle, Washington by Robert Fulghum.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Teaching
March 14, 2007
Let Go of Bitterness
The nature of bitterness is rooted in the fact that the pain we feel provides us with a rationale. We may feel that we deserve to embrace our bitterness to its full extent. And to be bitter is, in essence, to cut ourselves off from all that is positive, hardening our hearts and vowing never to let go of our hurt. But just as bitter feelings can be self-defeating, so too can the release of bitterness be life-affirming in a way that few other emotional experiences are. When we decide that we no longer want to be bitter, we are reborn into a world filled with delight and fulfillment unlike any we knew while in the clutches of bitterness. The veil it cast over our lives is lifted, letting light and warmth touch our souls.
—extract from the DailyOM for Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Source: For the entire contemplation visit: DailyOM Lifting Pain's Veil: Bitterness published Wednesday, March 14, 2007.
⇒ This entry is in honor of my daughter, Jennifer, who seems to me to continue to hold a deep bitterness in her heart towards me. I prayer that I may release the bitterness I feel towards her, and move on in my life. I prayer that she will be able to find the strength and courage to release her bitterness, and let light and warmth touch her life. I love you so much, Jen Marie!
More like this: Inspirational | Love | Profound | Sadness | Spiritual
March 6, 2007
150 Years Since the Horrid Dred Scott Decision
The words 'people of the United States' and 'citizens' are synonymous terms, and mean the same thing. They both describe the political body who, according to our republican institutions, form the sovereignty, and who hold the power and conduct the Government through their representatives. They are what we familiarly call the 'sovereign people,' and every citizen is one of this people, and a constituent member of this sovereignty. The question before us is, whether the class of persons described in the plea in abatement compose a portion of this people, and are constituent members of this sovereignty? We think they are not, and that they are not included, and were not intended to be included, under the word 'citizens' in the Constitution, and can therefore claim none of the rights and privileges which that instrument provides for and secures to citizens of the United States. On the contrary, they were at that time considered as a subordinate [60 U.S. 393, 405] and inferior class of beings, who had been subjugated by the dominant race, and, whether emancipated or not, yet remained subject to their authority, and had no rights or privileges but such as those who held the power and the Government might choose to grant them.
—Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, March 6, 1857
Source: U.S. Supreme Court DRED SCOTT v. SANDFORD, 60 U.S. 393 (1856) on FindLaw.com
⇒ Dred Scott Decision on the US National Archives and Records Administration Web site.
⇒ "The decision of Scott v. Sandford, considered by legal scholars to be the worst ever rendered by the Supreme Court, was overturned by the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution, which abolished slavery and declared all persons born in the United States to be citizens of the United States."—US National Archives and Records Administration
⇒ Dred Scott Case Collection of the Washington University in Saint Louis.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Profound | Sadness | Teaching
February 27, 2007
Let Us, Then, Be Up and Doing
A Psalm of Life
What The Heart Of The Young Man Said To The Psalmist.
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This is my tribute to the great American poet, Henry Wadsworth Lonfellow. Today is the 200th anniversary of his birth, having been born on February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine. Longfellow died in Cambridge on March 24, 1882. In London his marble image is seen in Westminster Abbey, in the Poet's Corner.
⇒ See: Books & Writers short biography of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807–1882
⇒ Also: PoetryFoundation.org's Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that includes links to many of his works, including the above, A Psalm of Life.
⇒ It is also the birthday of my sweet Mother-in-Law, Ruth, who was born in Sweetwater, Oregon in 1918. Happy Birthday, Mom. I am honored to be your son-in-law.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Poetry | Profound
February 21, 2007
Eight Worldly Preoccupations
Our intention should not be spoiled by the eight worldly preoccupations: gain or loss, pleasure or pain, praise or criticism, and fame and infamy.
—attributed to His Holiness, The Dalai Lama
Source: Insight from the Dalai Lama Daily Calendar Wednesday, October 11, 2006.
See Also: The Tibetan Government in Exile: About His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
More like this: Ancient Thoughts | Dalai Lama | Inspirational | Profound
February 5, 2007
My History
Each of us is a piece of a larger puzzle. We are all born into the unique and complex network of individuals, settings, and circumstances that constitute our heritage. Whether or not you are aware of your ancestors, you family's country of origin, the cultural history of your people, or the trials faced by the people responsible for bringing you into the world, these forces have had a hand in shaping your values. Knowing your family history and reflecting often upon your own personal history as it relates to your heritage empowers you to look at your life in a larger historical context and to understand that you are a vital part of an ongoing drama greater than yourself.
—extract from the DailyOM for Monday, February 5, 2007
Source: For the entire contemplation visit: DailyOM Unearthing Your Roots: Knowing Your History published Monday, February 5, 2007.
January 30, 2007
Happy Birthday, FDR
In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression--everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way--everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want--which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants-everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear--which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor--anywhere in the world.
That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called new order of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.
—Franklin D. Roosevelt
Source: Annual Message to Congress, January 6, 1941 [commonly referred to as the Four Freedoms Speech] by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Thirty-Second President
1933-1945.
President Roosevelt was born on this day in 1882 in Hyde Park, New York. He died: April 12, 1945 in Warm Springs, Georgia.
See WhiteHouse.gov's very short biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Profound | Teaching
January 22, 2007
Forgiveness and Understanding
When we truly forgive, we reach an understanding that allows us to forgo anger or grief. We become ready to let go of the past, despite its painful memories—but not the memories themselves. these remain though we do not dwell on them.The emotional undertow lessens and is brought under control; most of the time, at any rate. We accept, however reluctantly, that we cannot change the past, and become willing to move forward. Through forgiveness of the wrongdoer, and ourselves, we can learn to love and laugh again. We choose to embrace the present, to move on to whatever new experiences life has in store for us, and to face them strengthened by our survival.
—Gillian Stokes
Source: Forgiveness: Wisdom from Around the World by Gillian Stokes Red Wheel 2002 ISBN: 1-59003-036-2.
More like this: Inspirational | Love | Motivating | Spiritual
January 11, 2007
Being Lost and Trusting
Learning to be okay with being lost and trusting that we will be guided, we begin our journey.
We can support ourselves by confirming that we dont need to know exactly where we are going in order to take our first steps. We are learning to feel our own way, rather than following an established path, and in doing so we learn to trust ourselves. It is this trust that connects us to the universe and reminds us that no matter how lost we feel, and even as we journey, on the inner level we are already home.
—extract from the DailyOM for Thursday, January 11, 2007
Source: For the entire contemplation visit: DailyOM Uncharted Territory:Feeling Lost published January 11, 2007.
December 19, 2006
Done Me Good: A Christmas Carol
I have always thought of Christmas time, as ... the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore ... though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!
—Charles Dickens
I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.
Their faithful Friend and Servant, C.D.
December, 1843.
—Charles Dickens, Preface to A Christmas Carol
Source: Garrison Keillor's A Writer's Almanac for Tuesday, December, 19, 2006
It was on this day in 1843 that Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol.
See also: Literature.org's A Christmas Carol
December 7, 2006
Pearl Harbor Day: 2006
Congressional Medal of Honor
SAMUEL GLENN FUQUA
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Arizona.
Place and date: Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, 7 December 1941.
Entered service at: Laddonia, Missouri.
Born: 15 October 1899, Laddonia Mo.
Upon the commencement of the attack, Lt. Comdr. Fuqua rushed to the quarterdeck of the U.S.S. Arizona to which he was attached where he was stunned and knocked down by the explosion of a large bomb which hit the guarterdeck, penetrated several decks, and started a severe fire. Upon regaining consciousness, he began to direct the fighting of the fire and the rescue of wounded and injured personnel. Almost immediately there was a tremendous explosion forward, which made the ship appear to rise out of the water, shudder, and settle down by the bow rapidly. The whole forward part of the ship was enveloped in flames which were spreading rapidly, and wounded and burned men were pouring out of the ship to the quarterdeck. Despite these conditions, his harrowing experience, and severe enemy bombing and strafing, at the time, Lt. Comdr. Fuqua continued to direct the fighting of fires in order to check them while the wounded and burned could be taken from the ship and supervised the rescue of these men in such an amazingly calm and cool manner and with such excellent judgment that it inspired everyone who saw him and undoubtedly resulted in the saving of many lives. After realizing the ship could not be saved and that he was the senior surviving officer aboard, he directed it to be abandoned, but continued to remain on the quarterdeck and directed abandoning ship and rescue of personnel until satisfied that all personnel that could be had been saved, after which he left his ship with the boatload. The conduct of Lt. Comdr. Fuqua was not only in keeping with the highest traditions of the naval service but characterizes him as an outstanding leader of men.
—extract from Captain Fuqua's Congresional Medal of Honor citation
Source: WorldWarIIHistory.net's Congressional Medal of Honor Heroes of Pearl Harbor
See also:
1. Consider This in 2005: Remember Pearl Harbor, 07 DEC 1941 About Dorie Miller.
2. Consider This in 2004: Pearl Harbor Attacked, Dec. 7, 1941 About FDR's Speech.
3. USS Arizona National Memorial (US National Park Service
4. Pear Harbor Survivors Project
5. Arlington National Cemetery's Samuel Glenn Fuqua Rear Admiral, United States Navy
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound | Sadness
December 6, 2006
Focus on the World's Hope
Many sad things happen in our world, but rather than focusing on them, have hope for the future. Think of the world's potential. Perhaps the future holds the curing of diseases, the end of violence, the amelioration of poverty and hunger.
—David Niven, Ph.D. in Focus not on the world's tragedies, but on the world's hope: Number 84 of The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People
Over nine in ten Americans are uncomfortable or worried about aspects of the world and society. The difference between more and less happy people is what they do with that discomfort. Less happy people wallow in the problems they see, while happier people focus on potential improvements in the future.
—Garrett, R. 1996. "Wisdom as the Key to a Better Life" Contemporary Issues in Behavior Therapy. New York: Plenum.
Source: The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It. by David Niven, Ph.D. 2000 HarperCollins ISBN: 0-06-251650-7
See also: Country Inns & Suites by Carlson Read & Return It program.
December 4, 2006
Forgiveness
Understanding is often a prelude to forgiveness, but they are not the same, and we often forgive what we cannot understand (seeing nothing else to do) and understand what we cannot pardon.
—Mary McCarthy (1912 - 1989) US novelist, critic
Source: The Writing on the Wall and Other Literary Essays; on Creative Quotations by Mary McCarthy
See also:
» Mary McCarthy on Wikipedia
» Featured Author: Mary McCarthy on the New York Times online. [Requires free registration and log-in]
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Teaching
Love and Gratitude of George Washington
With a heart full of love and gratitude I now take leave of you. I most devoutly wish that your latter days may be as prosperous and happy as your former ones have been glorious and honorableIshall feel obliged if each of you will come and take me by the hand.
—General George Washington
Source: Washington's farewell to his officers, December 4, 1783, as he received the officers of the victorious Continental Army in the Long Room of Fraunces Tavern, on the corner of Pearl and Broad Streets, in lower Manhattan, New York City.
See also:
» Fraunces Tavern Museum article Washington Said Farewell To Officers At Fraunces Tavern At War's End
» Library of Congress American Memory for Today in History: December 04
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Teaching
November 19, 2006
Gettysburg Address Anniversary
...that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
—Abraham Lincoln November 19, 1863
Source: University of Oklahoma Law Center's U.S. Historical Documents Collection
Read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address on this blog, Consider This.
See also my Nov. 19, 2005 entry on this blog Path of American Destiny.
This 2006 entry is dedicated to a former colleague, Krista Price, at Heald College, Portland, Oregon campus. Krista always wanted me to memorize Lincoln's speech, but sadly, I've not yet accomplished her envisioned achievement. I promise, Krista, someday soon I will do so, and perhaps we will meet again.
Awaken to the Storyteller Within
Each of us has a story to tell, a story to share with the world.
Artists and writers are in the storytelling business. Others have different ways of telling and sharing their stories. The tackle shop owner sells bait, hooks, and sinkers and tells people where to fish and about the big one that got away. The master carpenter tells his story by carving and hanging a wooden door so well crafted that it swings shut gently on its own. The quilter tells her story by commemorating important moments from her life in her quilts that are colorful works of art.
Each of us has a story to tell and our own way of sharing it with the world. It comes out through our words, through our work, and through the simple actions of our daily life. Listen to the stories of people around you. Listen with your soul. Learn to value without judging and listen with an open heart to the beauty of each story and the importance of the storyteller. Learn to value and and appreciate the story you are living now.
Awaken to the storyteller within and share your story with the world. Tell it with joy and flair. Commit to telling it with love and passion. Tell it through living your life fully, doing your work well, and creating the best life you can. Be who you are and love being that.
Live your life from your heart. Share
from your heart. And your story will
touch and heal people's souls.
— Melody Beattie
Source: November 19 entry of Journey to the Heart: Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing Your Soul by Melody Beattie 1996 HarperSanFrancisco ISBN: 0-060251121-1(pbk.)
See also: MelodyBeattie.com
November 17, 2006
Choose to Love Life
By choosing to love life no matter what crosses your path, you can create an atmosphere of jubilance that is wonderfully infectious. A change in perspective is all it takes to change your world, but you must be willing to adopt an optimistic, hopeful mind-set.
—extract from the DailyOM for Friday, November 17, 2006
Source: For the entire contemplation visit: DailyOM Making Life Yours: Perception published November 17, 2006
November 3, 2006
Gentleness and Strength
Throughout life we must cope with blockages that impede our forward momentum. Whether these obstacles are of a personal, professional, or societal nature, our first instinct may be to push against the obstruction. But the simplest way to alleviate resistance is to approach it gently, with a soft manner and kind intentions. Struggle and strife can find no foothold when confronted with mildness because conflict can only exist when fed by two opposing forces. So many areas of our lives can benefit from the application of gentleness. The beauty of gentleness lies in its multifaceted nature. It is part love, part compassion, part patience, part understanding, and part respect for others. When we move through life gently as a matter of course, we naturally attract these wonderful elements into our lives.
—extract from the DailyOM for Friday, November 3, 2006
Source: For the entire contemplation visit: DailyOM A Softer Touch: Apply Gentleness To Everything published November 3, 2006
October 31, 2006
Flighty Temptress
And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.
—Albus Dumbledore to Harry Potter
Source: End of Chapter 3 of Harry Potter and the Half–Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling Scholastic, Inc. (July 16, 2005) ISBN: 0439784549
See also wikipedia's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
October 21, 2006
You Have Not Finished the Best Part of Your Life
We hear that youth is wasted on the young. People who say this are accepting the myth that only the young can enjoy life to the fullest. The truth is that older people do not consider their young days to be the best days; most enjoy their senior years more than any other part of their life.
—David Niven, Ph.D. in Number 98 of The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People
Researchers conducted a long-term study of northern Californians, interviewing subjects multiple times over three decades. When asked when they had the happiest in their lives, each time eight out of ten answered "right now."
—Field, D. 1997. "Looking Back, What Period of Your Life Brought You the Most Satisfaction?" International Journal of Aging and Human Development 45:99
Source: The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People: What Scientists Have Learned and How You Can Use It. by David Niven, Ph.D. 2000 HarperCollins ISBN: 0-06-251650-7
See also: Country Inns & Suites by Carlson Read & Return It program.
October 20, 2006
Rhythmical Words
The longer I live, the more I see there's something about reciting rhythmical words aloudit's almost biologicalthat comforts and enlivens human beings.
—Robert Pinsky
Source: Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac for Friday, October 20, 2006
October 5, 2006
Honesty and Truth
When we promise more than we can deliver, hide from the consequences of our actions through falsehoods, or deny our true selves to others, we hurt those who were counting on us by proving that their faith was wrongly given. We are also hurt by the lies we tell and the promises we break. Integrity is the foundation of civilization, allowing people to live, work, and play side by side without fear or apprehension.
—DailyOM for Thursday, October 5, 2006
Source: DailyOM Power In Honesty: Staying True to Your Word published October 5, 2006
More like this: DailyOM | Inspirational | Profound | Teaching
September 12, 2006
Young Not Prudent and That's Fortunate for All
The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible
–and achieve it, generation after generation.
—Pearl S. Buck, 1892-1973, Pulitzer (1932) and Nobel Prize (1938) Winning Author
Source: Pearl S. Buck on Achieving the Impossible of Sep. 12, 2006 at Brainfuel.tv
See also: Pearl Buck – Biography at NobelPrize.org
Also: Pearl Buck was awarded the 1932 Pulitzer Prize in Letters & Drama, Novel for The Good Earth, see: Pulitzer Prizes.org
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
September 6, 2006
A Prayer
May I become at all times, both now and forever
A protector for those without protection
A guide for those who have lost their way
A ship for those with oceans to cross
A bridge for those with rivers to cross
A sanctuary for those in danger
A lamp for those without light
A place of refuge for those who lack shelter
And a servant to all in need.
—atributed to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama
Source: Insight from the Dalai Lama Daily Calendar Monday, September 4, 2006
See Also: The Tibetan Government in Exile: About His Holiness The Dalai Lama
More like this: Dalai Lama | Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
August 24, 2006
Human Relations Most Important
Don't sacrifice your life to work and ideals.
The most important things in life are human relations.
I found that out too late.
—Katharinde Susannah Prichard, Australian Author
Source: My beautiful bride, Carol, suggested this one. Thanks, Sweetheart
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
August 14, 2006
Teaching Children to Think
Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.
—Margaret Mead
Source: Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes Daily calendar Saturday/Sunday, August 5/6, 2006 Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN: 0-7407-5200-6
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
July 24, 2006
Good Teachers - Irreplaceable
If I were in charge of the universe, good teachers would earn far more than cabinet members; the latter are replaceable, the former are not.
—Phyllis Theroux
Source: Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes Daily calendar Thursday, July 20, 2006 Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN: 0-7407-5200-6
July 18, 2006
Learn More
We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.
—Lloyd Alexander
Source: The Best Liberal Quotes Ever: Why the Left is Right by Wlliam Martin. Sourcebooks, Inc. 2004 ISBN: 1-4022-0309-8
See also: Kidsread.com's Lloyd Alexander
July 13, 2006
Difficult Moments
Each difficult moment has the potential to open my eyes and open my heart.
—Myla Kabat-Zinn
Source: Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes Daily calendar Tuesday, July 11, 2006 Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN: 0-7407-5200-6
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
July 10, 2006
Get Meaning into Your Life, Redux
So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things.
The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to the community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.
—Morrie Schwartz
Source: Tuesdays with Morrie: an Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom 1st ed. 1997 by Doubleday ISBN: 0-385-48451-8
Secondary source: Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes Daily calendar Saturday/Sunday, July 8/9, 2006 Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN: 0-7407-5200-6
See also:
Consider This' shorter version of Get Meaning into Year Life, published exactly a year ago!
FastCompany.com's November 1999 article Work and Life - Morrie Schwartz
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound | Teaching
July 4, 2006
July Fourth, 2006
These are times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
—Thomas Paine
Source: BrainyQuote's Thomas Paine Quotations
See also:
Thomas Paine National Historical Association
view Wikipedia's Thomas Paine Biography
June 25, 2006
Judge Success
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses the press 1964
Born:
January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia
Died:
April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee
We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service relationship to humanity.
—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Source: Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes Daily calendar Tuesday, June 20, 2006 Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN: 0-7407-5200-6
See also: Nobel Prize's Martin Luther King Biography
June 14, 2006
Unconditional Gift: Kindness
In the quest to create a gentler, more loving world, kindness is the easiest tool we can use. Though it is easy to overlook opportunities to be kind, our lives are replete with situations in which we can be helpful, considerate, thoughtful, and friendly to loved ones and associates, as well as strangers. The touching, selfless acts of kindness that have the most profoundly uplifting effects are often the simplest: a word of praise, a gentle touch, a helping hand, a gesture of courtesy, or a smile. Such small kindnesses represent an unconditional, unrestricted form of love that we are free to give or withhold at will. When you give the gift of kindness, whether in the form of assistance, concern, or friendliness, your actions create a beacon of happiness and hope that warms people's hearts.
The components of kindness are compassion, respect, and generosity. Put simply, kindness is the conscious act of engaging others in a positive way without asking whether those individuals deserve to be treated kindly.
—DailyOm for Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Source: Online DailyOm for Wednesday, June 14, 2006
It is Flag Day in the USA, and the 55th anniversary of my mom's, Minna, naturalization as an American citizen.
See also USFlag.org's History of Flag Day that celebrates the resolution adopted by the Second Continental Congress at Philadelphia on June 14, 1777 that adopted the stars and stripes as America's national flag.
More like this: DailyOM | Inspirational | Love | Profound
June 6, 2006
D-Day: June 6, 1944
www.DDay-Overlord.com
Assault Boats enroute Omaha & USS AUGUSTA
Omaha Beach, Normandy, June 6, 1944
But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
—Abraham Lincoln.
Source: Modern History Sourcebook: Abraham Lincoln: Letter to Mrs. Bixby, 1864
On the night of June 5, 1944, 1,000 ships, the greatest armada ever to set sail, left the British isles, bound for the Coast of Normandy--its mission to liberate Europe. Operation Overlord had begun. On June 6, almost 200,000 Allied soldiers landed on rugged French beaches, code-named Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Rocky cliffs fortified by the German loomed over the beaches. This was the formidable threshold of the second front, the long-awaited campaign that spelled the end of the Third Reich. Stubborn German resistance and gale-force channel storms caused a devastating loss of men and equipment in the period immediately following the landing. Some American units suffered casualties to half their numbers. The invasion of Europe often seemed on the brink of foundering.
But it did not fail. The door to Europe was opened. American, British, and Canadian forces poured in, accompanied by contingents representing the governments-in-exile of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, and Poland. In little more than two months Paris was liberated. Within a year Hitler was dead and the German Army defeated. Today, above Omaha Beach, the American Cemetery bears silent, but perpetual witness to the cost of the mightiest sea-to-shore operation ever launched.
—Naval Historical Center
Source: Naval Historical Center's Art Collection D-DAY, NORMANDY; Operation Overlord
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Sadness
May 9, 2006
To All Who Support Us, Grateful Thanks
As we take the time to acknowledge everyone that has ever supported us, we can't help but feel grateful. Understanding our place in our human support system helps us see that just as there are people that support us, we are a supporter to many people. By gratefully accepting the expertise and assistance of our supporters, we can consciously and more easily build a life that we love. Thanks to our staff, groups, friends, and loved ones for all their support. We all need each other's support to thrive [in] this world.
—DailyOM for May 8, 2006
Source: DailyOm, May 8, 2006 The Power Behind Us: People That Support Us
April 28, 2006
Sometimes Silence Impresses
Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent.
—atributed to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama
Source: Insight from the Dalai Lama Daily Calendar Wednesday, April 26, 2006
See Also: The Tibetan Government in Exile: About His Holiness The Dalai Lama
More like this: Dalai Lama | Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
April 18, 2006
Test of a Good Teacher
The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his students that they will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask which he finds it hard to answer.
—Alice Wellington Rollins
Source: Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes Daily calendar Thursday, April 6, 2006 Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN: 0-7407-5200-6
April 10, 2006
SNIPES A Poem and Tribute
Joseph Rachel Destroyer Photo Archive
USS STRIBLING (DD-867) Enters Monaco, June 1972
I served in USS STRIBLING (DD-867) from August 1970 through July 1972 as Main Propulsion Assistant. I was aboard STRIB when this picture was taken. View another photo of STRIB, with "bone in her teeth."
US DoD
USS Capodanno (FF-1093) Underway during a MED deployment, 1988
I served in USS CAPODANNO (FF-1093) from July 1975 through July 1977 as Engineer Officer.
USS BAGLEY (FF-1069) Underway departing San Diego harbor, circa mid-1979
I served in USS BAGLEY (FF-1069) from July 1977 through January 1979 as Engineer Officer.
Many a poet have written sailor tales
About South Sea Isles and furious gales
So, I'll not waste your time with a tale of this type
Rather, I'll write of the sweaty, greasy snipe.
He works in his hole when the temperature is right
When the thermometer reads one twenty Fahrenheit.
There's no salt water in his blood,
Just stinking fuel oil and slimey bilge crud.
He goes to sea with visions of bright sun, and wind swept spray
But there are no hours of this in his working day.
Four hours on and eight hours off, and between, turn to and watch relief
No matter whether a boot FA or a salty Chief.
He works all hours and never tires.
And he can fix anything wih permatex and bailing wire.
When the ship pulls into port with the crew all in whites
There's a standing order for him to stay out of sight.
No bronze skin for this oily stud,
He's only time for a soggy butt and a cup of mud.
He's got a leak to fix, and a pump to pack
Before he can hit his long empty rack.
When the ship's inport and the crew's ashore
He's still in his hole sweating from very pore.
While deckapes and radiogirls are filled with glee
He must again get his engines ready for sea.
But, he's not mad, and he don't cry
He's just glad that cows don't fly.
For the fact is known both far and near
That this is the life of an engineer.
—Author Unknown
Source: I can't remember who shared this poem with me so very long ago. To this day the sweet smell of diesel engine exhaust is comforting, as it signals that the Emergency Diesel Generator has started and will soon be on the line. It means we'll have a fighting chance to recovery from yet another "drop the load" and bring the main plant back on the line and the ship underway again.
This entry is in honor of all the "Snipes" [marine engineers] who ever served at sea in a US Navy ship.
See also: USS CAPODANNO.org
More like this: Anonymous | Inspirational | Love | Poetry
April 2, 2006
Not Enough to be Compassionate
It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. There two aspects to action. One is to overcome the distortions and afflictions of your mind, that is, in terms of calming and eventualy dispelling anger. This is action out of compassion. The other is more social, more public. When something needs to be done in the world to rectify wrongs, if one is really concerned with benefiting others, one needs to be engaged, involved.
—atributed to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama
Source: Insight from the Dalai Lama Daily Calendar Saturday/Sunday, April 1/2, 2006
See Also: The Tibetan Government in Exile: About His Holiness The Dalai Lama
More like this: Dalai Lama | Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Profound
March 27, 2006
Cherry Trees: Washington, DC
National Park Service
March 30, 2006. Cherry Blossoms at Peak Bloom: National Mall, Washington, DC
The Peak Bloom Date is defined as the day in which 70 percent of the blossoms of the Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) trees are open. The date when the Yoshino cherry blossoms reach peak bloom varies from year to year, depending on weather conditions. Cherry Blossom Festival dates are set based on the average date of blooming (April 4), but nature is not always cooperative. Unseasonably warm and/or cool temperatures have resulted in the Yoshino cherries reaching peak bloom as early as March 15 (1990) and as late as April 18 (1958).
On this day in 1912, President Taft's wife and the wife of the ambassador from Japan planted the first of Washington D.C.'s cherry trees. The cuttings were scions from the most famous trees in Tokyo, the ones that grow along the banks of the Arakawa River. Workers took over, and thousands of cherry treesall gifts from the Japanese governmentwere planted around the Tidal Basin. During the Second World War, Tokyo lost scores of cherry trees in the allied bombing raids; after the surrender, horticulturists took cuttings from the trees in Washington and sent them back to Tokyo. Years later, some of the Washington trees died, and Tokyo sent cuttings back across the Pacific.
—Garrison Keillor
Source: The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor for Monday, March 27th, 2006
March 13, 2006
Dedicated Life
The dedicated life is the life worth living. You must give with your whole heart.
—Annie Dillard
Source: Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes Daily calendar Saturday/Sunday, March 11/12, 2006 Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN: 0-7407-5200-6
February 28, 2006
It Just Might Work
It struck me that the movies had spent more than half a century saying, They lived happily ever after and the following quarter-century warning that they'll be lucky to make it through the weekend. Possibly now we are now entering a third era in which the movies will be sounding a note of cautious optimism: You know it just might work.
—Nora Ephron
Source: Nora Ephrn Quotes on Quotationsbook.com
More like this: Famous People | Humorous | Inspirational
February 15, 2006
Boldness Has Genius
What ever you can do,
or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius,
power and magic in it.
—Johann von Goethe
Source: The Portable Life 101: 179 essential lessons from the New York Times bestseller Life 101: Everything We Wish We Had Learned in Life In School—But Didn't by Peter McWilliams 1995 ISBN: 0-931580-41-2
See also:
Roots.com's Goethe Biography
Memorial for Peter McWilliams, 1950—2000
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Teaching
February 5, 2006
Stroke of Luck
Royal Australian Navy photo by Able Seaman Paul Berry
Sydney, Australia (Jan. 30, 2006) – USS PINCKNEY (DDG 91) and the World Famous Sydney Opera House
The guided missile destroyer USS PINCKNEY (DDG 91) transits pass the World Famous Sydney Opera House as she made a scheduled port visit to Sydney.
PINCKNEY was participating in the Pacific 2006 International Maritime Exposition at Sydneys Exhibition Centre. This was a major international event that showcased the latest in maritime and naval technology from throughout the world.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
—attributed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Source: Insight from the Dalai Lama Daily Calendar Friday, January 27, 2006
See Also: The Tibetan Government in Exile: About His Holiness The Dalai Lama
More like this: Dalai Lama | Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating
February 3, 2006
To Listen Fully
To listen fully means to pay close attention to what is being said beneath the words. You listen not only to the "music," but to the essence of the person speaking. You listen not only for what someone knows, but for what he or she is.
—Peter Senge
Source: Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes Daily calendar Thursday, February 2, 2006 Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN: 0-7407-5200-6
See also: What is Enlightenment?'s online article Peter Senge: Bigraphy and Resources
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
January 27, 2006
Love: The Soul of Genius
Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together make genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.
—Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Source: Garrison Keillor's The Writer's Almanac for Friday, January 27, 2006
It is the 250th Anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's birth, born in Salzburg, Austria in 1756, he died December 5th 1791 in Vienna, Austria.
See also: The Mozart Project
January 21, 2006
THE Three Rs
Follow the three Rs:
Respect for self
Respect for others
Responsibility for all your actions
—attrributed to his Holiness the Dalai Lama
Source: Insight from the Dalai Lama Daily Calendar Friday, January 20, 2006
See Also: The Tibetan Government in Exile: About His Holiness The Dalai Lama
More like this: Dalai Lama | Famous People | Inspirational
January 15, 2006
Weakness of Violence
The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.... The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.
—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Strength to Love (1963)
Source: Martin Luther King, Jr. - Wikiquote
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. born January 15, 1929, died April 4, 1968
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
January 13, 2006
Answer in Your Hands
A young man caught a small bird, and held it behind his back. He then asked, "Master, is the bird I hold in my hands alive or dead?" The boy thought this was a grand opportunity to play a trick on the old man. If the master answered "dead," it would be let loose into the air. If the master answered "alive," he would simply wring its neck. The master spoke, "The answer is in your hands."
—attrributed to his Holiness the Dalai Lama
Source: Insight from the Dalai Lama Daily Calendar Wednesday, January 11, 2006
See Also: The Tibetan Government in Exile: About His Holiness The Dalai Lama
More like this: Dalai Lama | Famous People | Inspirational | Profound | Spiritual
January 8, 2006
Remember to Be Happy
The sign hangs on the wall of a bagel shop: "Don't forget to be happy."
Sometimes we get so bogged down in dealing with feelings, issues, problems—the realities and details of our lives—we forget to be happy.
Joy is a choice—a deliberate, conscious choice. That choice is available to us each day. Our joy isn't control by others or by outside circumstances. Joy comes from a deeper place, a place of security within ourselves. It is an attitude, not a transitory emotion:
Remember to be kind. Remember to be loving. Remember to feel all your feelings and to take care of yourself. But most of all, remember to be happy.
—Melody Beattie
Source: January 7th entry; Journey to the Heart: Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing Your Soul by Melody Beattie 1996 HarperCollins ISBN: 0-06-251121-1 (pbk.)
See also:
1. Melody Beattie's Home Page
2. Daily OM's Heart Beats: Drumming, January 6th 2006 entry
January 6, 2006
Americans: Free or Slave
The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves.
—George Washington
Source: BrainyQuote's George Washington Quotes
See also" Whitehouse.gov's Biography of George Washington
I just finished reading David McCullough's 1776 Simon & Schuster 2005 ISBN: 0743226712.
See 1776 at Powell's Books
December 29, 2005
Honest and Courageous
Suffice it to say that he was honest and courageous as ever. Whatever else may be said of him, his integrity and courage have been seldom questioned though often proved. He was by nature and temperament squarely disposed toward justice and the right, and was a determined warrior for his convictions. He erred from limitation of grasp and perception, perhaps, or through sore perplexity in trying times, but never weakly or consciously. He was always headstrong and "sure he was right" even in his errors.
—President Andrew Johnson's Obituary, New York Times, August 1, 1875
Source: New York Times On This Day: Birthdays: Dec. 29: Andrew Johnson Obituary
Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States, born: December 29, 1808 in Raleigh, North Carolina and died: July 31, 1875 in Carter's Station, Tennessee.
See also the White House.gov's Biography of Andrew Johnson
December 28, 2005
What Miracle is Wrought
When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.
—Helen Keller
Source: Daily Inspirational Calendar Saturday/Sunday, December 24/25, 2005 entry
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
December 27, 2005
Excitement: A Secret of Success
The real secret of success is enthusiasm. Yes, more than enthusiasm, I would say excitement. I like toi see men get excited. When they get excited they make a success of their lives.
—Walter Chrysler
Source: Daily Inspirational Calendar Tuesday, December 20, 2005 entry
See also: Chrysler Museum of Art's Biography of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
December 20, 2005
We Ask That You Don't
WE ASK THAT YOU DON'T:
Throw sand.
Be selfish.
Disparage others.
Talk shit.
Duck responsibility.
Play the busy card.
Leave others hanging.
Make excuses.
Disappear.
Make promises you don't keep.
Say it can't be done.
JUMPING ON HAND GRENADES.
There is usually a fairly large portion of work on each and every plate here.
Getting all that work done in the time allotted can sometimes be a challenge,
but our unwritten policy has always been to drop whatever we're doing when
somebody needs our help. Maybe they will come right out and ask for help.
Or maybe you just notice that something isn't getting done so you pitch in
until it is done. The reason we do this is simple. The person you help today
may be the person you need help from on that fateful day when a hand
grenade rolls into your office.
—Crispin Porter + Bogusly, Miami Florida Ad Agency
Source: The Crispin Porter + Bogusly Employee Handbook
I really think these are wonderfully supportive direction!
December 15, 2005
Success is About Relationships
Success is not about money and power. Real success is about relationships. There's no point in making $50 million a year if your teenager thinks you're a jerk and you spend no time with your wife.
—Christopher Reeve, 1952—2004 American screen actor
Source: The Ultimate Pocket Positives: A Second Anthology of Inspirational Thoughts Compiled by Maggie Pinkey. The Five Mile Press 2001 Reprinted 2002 ISBN = 1 86503 579 3
See also Wikipedia: Christopher Reeve
December 7, 2005
Remember Pearl Harbor, 07 DEC 1941
Destroyers Online USS Miller (FF-1091)
USS MILLER (FF-1091) named in honor of Dorie Miller
MILLER, a KNOX Class Frigate (FF), was originally commissioned June 30, 1973 as a Destroyer Escort (DE). These ships were redesignated as Frigates (FF) in June 1975, but retained their original hull numbers. US Navy destroyers, frigates, and destroyer escort are traditionally named in honor of Navy and Marine Corps combat heroes. MILLER justly honored the memory of Ship's Cook Third Class Doris Miller, USN. The ship proudly served our US Navy until decommissioning October 15, 1991. I served in USS CAPODANNO (FF-1093) and USS BAGLEY (FF-1069), both sister ships to MILLER.
It wasn't hard. I just pulled the trigger and she worked fine. I had watched the others with these guns. I guess I fired her for about fifteen minutes. I think I got one of those Jap planes. They were diving pretty close to us.
—Ship's Cook, Third Class Doris (Dorie) Miller, USN aboard USS WEST VIRGINIA (BB-48) describing his firing the machine gun during the battle, a weapon which he had not been trained to operate.
He was serving in that battleship when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. Miller had arisen at 6 a.m., and was collecting laundry when the alarm for general quarters sounded. He headed for his battle station, the antiaircraft battery magazine amidship, only to discover that torpedo damage had wrecked it, so he went on deck. Because of his physical prowess, he was assigned to carry wounded fellow Sailors to places of greater safety. Then an officer ordered him to the bridge to aid the mortally wounded Captain of the ship. He subsequently manned a 50 caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun until he ran out of ammunition and was ordered to abandon ship.
Miller was commended by the Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on 1 April 1942, and on 27 May 1942 he received the Navy Cross, which Fleet Admiral (then Admiral) Chester W. Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet personally presented to Miller on board aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for his extraordinary courage in battle. Speaking of Miller, Nimitz remarked:
"This marks the first time in this conflict that such high tribute has been made in the Pacific Fleet to a member of his race and I'm sure that the future will see others similarly honored for brave acts."
On 13 December 1941, Miller reported to USS Indianapolis (CA-35), and subsequently returned to the west coast of the United States in November 1942. Assigned to the newly constructed USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56) in the spring of 1943, Miller was on board that escort carrier during Operation Galvanic, the seizure of Makin and Tarawa Atolls in the Gilbert Islands. Liscome Bay's aircraft supported operations ashore between 20-23 November 1943. At 5:10 a.m. on 24 November, while cruising near Butaritari Island, a single torpedo from Japanese submarine I-175 struck the escort carrier near the stern. The aircraft bomb magazine detonated a few moments later, sinking the warship within minutes. Listed as missing following the loss of that escort carrier, Miller was officially presumed dead 25 November 1944, a year and a day after the loss of Liscome Bay. Only 272 Sailors survived the sinking of Liscome Bay, while 646 died.
In addition to the Navy Cross, Miller was entitled to the Purple Heart Medal; the American Defense Service Medal, Fleet Clasp; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal.
Source: US Naval Historical Center's Ship's Cook Third Class Doris Miller, USN
See also:
1. Consider this one year ago: December 7, 2004
2. www.dorismiller.com
November 30, 2005
Keep Swinging, Keep Swinging
My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.
—Hank Aaron
November 19, 2005
Path of American Destiny
Always the path of American destiny has been into the unknown. Always there arose enough reserves of strength, balances of sanity, portions of wisdom to carry the nation through to a fresh start with ever-reaching vitality.
—Carl Sandburg, speaking at the 96th (1959) Anniversary of Lincoln's Address at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, November 19, 1863.
Source: November 19th entry: Office Perpetual Calendar by Judy Johannesen, Haymarket, Virginia
Read Lincoln's Gettysburg Address on this blog, Consider This.
Elizabeth L. Hill, Chief, Still Picture Branch,
U.S. National Archives
Only Known Photo of Lincoln at Gettysburg, PA
Only known photograph of President Abraham Lincoln at the dedication of the Military Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania November 19, 1863. See the US Library of Congress Exhibition Gettysburg Address.
The above is actually a cropped portion of a larger photo of the President on the platform to see the President in the context of the moment.
It was on this day in 1863 that President Abraham Lincoln got up in front of about 15,000 people seated at a new national cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and delivered the Gettysburg Address. The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War. It was the furthest the Confederate soldiers had ever pushed into the North, but they'd been driven back.
The men killed in the battle had been buried hastily in shallow graves with haphazard wooden markers, but in the months since the battle, a man named David Wills oversaw the task of identifying and burying the dead properly. The ceremony was to dedicate the new cemetery. Wills invited the most popular poets of the day to write something in honor of the occasion. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Greenleaf Whittier and William Cunnings Bryant all declined. So David Wills invited Edward Everett, a well-known speaker who was famous for his speeches about battlefields. It was almost as an afterthought that Wills decided to invite President Lincoln to the ceremony.
No one is sure exactly when Lincoln wrote his speech. Most people who knew him said that he spent a great deal of time writing every public statement he ever made, so he probably composed the first draft in Washington D.C. Witnesses said they saw him working on the speech on the train ride to Pennsylvania, and others said that they saw him working in his room the night before the event.
It was a foggy, cold morning on this day in 1863. Lincoln arrived about 10 a.m. Around noon the sun broke out as the crowds gathered on a hill overlooking the battlefield. A military band played, a local preacher offered a long prayer, and the headlining orator Edward Everett spoke for over two hours, describing the Battle of Gettysburg in great detail, and he brought the audience to tears more than once.
When Everett was finished, Lincoln got up, and pulled his speech from his coat pocket. It consisted of ten sentences, a total of 272 words. Lincoln did not mention any of the specifics of the war or any of the details of the battle of Gettysburg. He did not mention the North or the South. He did not mention slavery. Instead, he explained, in ordinary language, that our nation was founded on the idea that all men are created equal, and that we must continue to fight for that principle, in honor of those who have died fighting for it.
Unfortunately for Lincoln, the audience was distracted by a photographer setting up his camera, and by the time Lincoln had finished his speech and sat down the audience didn't even realize he had spoken. Lincoln was disappointed in his performance, but the next day Edward Everett told the President, "I wish that I could flatter myself that I had come as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes." The speech was reprinted in newspapers around the country, and it went on to become one of the most famous speeches in American history.
It begins, "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."
And ends, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
—Garrison Keillor: The Writer's Almanac for Saturday, November 19, 2005
November 18, 2005
The Goose Story: A "V" Inspiration
Next fall, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in "V" formation, think about what science has learned about why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following it. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock can fly at least 71% farther than if each bird flew on its own. Perhaps people who share a common direction can get where they are going quicker and easier if they cooperate.
When a goose falls out of formation, it feels the resistance of trying to go it alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of flying with the flock. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will work with others who are going the same way as we are. When the lead goose gets tired, he rotates back in the wing and another goose flies on the point. It pays to take turns doing hard jobs for our group. The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
Finally, (get this!) When a goose weakens or is wounded and falls out of formation, two geese fall out and follow him down to help and protect him. They stay with him until he is either able to fly or until he is dead, and they then set out on their own or with another formation until they catch up with the group. If we had the sense of a goose, we would stand by each other like that.
—Author Unknown
Source: Inspiring Words -- Volunteer BC
November 8, 2005
Success Is?
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
—Sir Winston Churchill
Source: Daily Inspirational Calendar Wednesday November 2, 2005 entry
See also: Sir Winston Churchill Bio on Wikipedia.org
November 4, 2005
Dreams and Seeds
However vague they are, dreams have a way of concealing themselves and leave us no peace until they are translated into reality, like seeds germinating underground, sure to sprout in their search for the sunlight.
—Lin Tutang
Source: Daily Inspirational Calendar Friday November 4, 2005 entry
See also: Lin Yutang Bio on Wikipedia.org
October 26, 2005
Await the Result
When you have done your best, await the result in peace.
—Frank Vizarre
Source: Little Miracle series window card by Compendium, Inc.
October 24, 2005
Rosa Parks: Free, Free at Last
People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, although some pople have an image of me as being old then. I was forty-two. No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.
—Rosa Parks, reflecting upon her experience on that bus on December 1st, 1951 evening in Montgomery, Alabama.
Source: Washington Post, Oct. 24, 2005 article, Civil Rights Icon Dies at Age 92
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Profound
October 21, 2005
Opportunties Are For Taking
Grab a chance and you won't be sorry for a might-have-been.
—Arthur Ransome, 1884—1967 British novelist
There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood. leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and miseries
On such a full sea are now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.
—William Shakespeare, 1564—1616 English poet and playwright
If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it.
—Anonymous
Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good; try to use ordinary situations.
—Jean Paul Richter, 1763—1825 German novelist
Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us daily.
—Sally Koch American writer
To improve the golden moment of opportunity, and catch the good that is within our reach, is the great art of life.
—William James, 1842—1910 American psychologist and philospher
Source: The Ultimate Pocket Positives: A Second Anthology of Inspirational Thoughts Compiled by Maggie Pinkey. The Five Mile Press 2001 Reprinted 2002 ISBN = 1 86503 579 3
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
October 17, 2005
Mistakes and Actions: Winning Combination
Success seems to be connected with action. Successful men keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.
—Conrad Hilton
Source: Daily Inspirational Calendar Saturday/Sunday, October 15/16, 2005 entry
October 10, 2005
Obstacles in Our Way
When our next best course of action seems unclear, any dilemmas we face can appear insurmountable. Yet there is nothing we cannot overcome with time, persistence, focused thought, help, and faith. Whatever the situation or problem, there is always a solution. And if you remember to look within, even as you search around you for the "right" course of action, you will be able to center yourself, clear your mind, and see that nothing has to be impossible.
—Daily OM for Monday, October 10, 2005
Source: DailyOm, October 10, 2005 Overcoming Obstacles: Nothing Is Insurmountable
More like this: DailyOM | Inspirational | Spiritual | Teaching
September 30, 2005
Deep Inside Us is Valuable
We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that what is deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.
—e.e. cummings
Source: Teachers Daily calendar Thursday, September 29, 2005 entry
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound | Teaching
September 14, 2005
A Thing Impossible?
Nothing is impossible; there are ways that lead to everything, and if we had sufficient will we should always have sufficient means. It is often merely for an excuse that we say that things are impossible.
—François de La Rochefoucauld
Source: Inspirational Calendar Monday, September 12, 2005 entry
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating
September 4, 2005
Obstacles Melt Away
Most of our obstacle would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them.
—Orison Swett Marden
Source: Inspirational Calendar, Thursday, August 18, 2005 entry
See also: Orison Swett Marden.com
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating
August 9, 2005
Creativity and Courage
Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.
—Erich Fromm
Source: Creativity Quotes on Wisdom.com
See also: Erich Fromm on Wikipedia.org
This is my 300th entry! Yeah, me! :-)
More like this: Creative | Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
July 29, 2005
Ready For Opportunity?
The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.
—Benjamin Disraeli
Source: Daily Inspirational Calendar Tuesday, July 19, 2005 entry
July 20, 2005
You Are Unique
You are unique and if that is not fulfilled, then something wonderful has been lost.
—Martha Graham
Source: Brilliance series window card by Compendium, Inc.
July 1, 2005
Do All the Good
Do all the good you can,
by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can,
as long as ever you can.
—John Wesley
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar Thursday, June 30, 2005
See also: John Wesley Biography and Bibliography
June 30, 2005
Rid of All Suffering: How Soon?
It is important not to have the unrealistic expectation that we will find a magic key to help get rid of [all suffering]. It takes determination, patience, and more than one week.
—attributed to HH the Dalai Lama
Source: Words of Wisdom Daily Calendar, Tuesday, May 31th 2005 entry
See Also: The Tibetan Government in Exile: About His Holiness The Dalai Lama
More like this: Dalai Lama | Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
June 29, 2005
Trust: The Dots in Your Life Connect
You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future....
You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down and it has made all the difference in my life....
You have to find what you love. The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work....
Your time is limited. Don't waste it living someone else's life. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition....
Stay hungry, stay foolish.
—Steve Jobs
CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, Commencement address at Stanford University, delivered on June 12, 2005.
Source: The other side of the dream by Garry Barker, Sydney Morning Herald June 23, 2005
To read his entire speech, see also: Steve Jobs at Stanford, June 12, 2005
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound | Teaching
June 28, 2005
Look Around You
Stop a moment, cease your work, and look around you.
—Thomas Carlye
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar Saturday/Sunday, June 25/26, 2005
June 25, 2005
Life's Learning: Aldous Huxley
Let us be kinder to one another.
—Aldous Huxley: reportedly on his deathbed, reflecting on his entire life's learning.
Source: Who Will Cry When You Die? Life Lessons From the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin S. Sharma 1999 HarpersCollins ISBN 0-00-638578-8
See also, Robin Sharma Online
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Profound
June 22, 2005
Getting a Second Chance
There is nothing more beautiful in life than getting a second chance.
—Ron Kovic
Source: Expect a Miracle series window card by Compendium, Inc.
June 19, 2005
Traditions Kept Alive
The study of history helps keep traditions alive. When we study how our ancestors dealt with challenges, we can (hopefully) learn from their successes and failures, and fashion our responses to challenges in even more naturally human ways.
—Fred Rogers
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar Wednesday, June 15, 2005
—From the book The World According to Mr. Rogers by Fred Rogers 2003 ISBN 1-4013-0106-1
See also: Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Father's Day 2005: This entry is honors all our fathers. Some of us had fathers who were loving and nurturing. Some had other experiences. We honor all, because they moved us to the journey, the path we are on now.
I specifically honor my Dad, Richard C., because he is my inspiration to continue on my journey. Thank you, Dad, I love you.
June 16, 2005
Inspire to Teach
Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself.
—Chinese ProverbOne's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.
—Oliver Wendell HolmesEducation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
—William Butler YeatsCultivation to the mind is as necessary as food to the body.
—Marcus Tullius CiceroEducation is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.
—Robert FrostDraw a crazy picture, Write a nutty poem, Sing a mumble-gumble song; Whistle through your comb. Do a looney-gooney dance 'Cross the Kitchen Floor, Put something silly in the world that ain't been there before.
—Shel Silverstein
Source: Shared with me by one of my April 2005 Term students, Jennifer, on June 15, 2005.
Thank you, Jennifer.
More like this: Ancient Thoughts | Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
June 9, 2005
On Being Stuck
You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be.
—Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Source: Everyday Wisdom by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer published by Hay House 1993 ISBN 1-56170-076-2
See also Dr. Dyer's Official Web site
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
June 6, 2005
President Roosevelt's D-Day Prayer (June 6, 1944)
On the morning of June 6, 1944, Americans awoke to the news that Allied forces were in the process of landing on the coast of France in Normandy. Later that morning, newspapers published a message from the President, which included a prayer for the success of the operation, and a request that the nation join him in prayer during his radio broadcast that evening.
My fellow Americans:
Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.
And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer.
Almighty God:
Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest - until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.
For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home - fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas - whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them - help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too - strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.
And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment - let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace - a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God.
Amen
—President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Source: Strategypage.com's On War & Warfare: D-Day
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
May 31, 2005
When Inspired by Great Purpose
When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds;
your mind transcends limitations, your conciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you dreamed yourself to be.
—Patanjali
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar Satrurday/Sunday 28/29 May 2005 entry
See also: Online biographic notes about Patanjali
May 24, 2005
Sharing Wisdom: Becoming a Mentor
There are many kinds of mentors and though we may feel intimidated by the responsibility, it is a role we should embrace. We are here on earth to learn and to pass on life's lessons to others. Whether we mentor someone throughout their life with guidance and counsel or for just a moment by letting someone confide in us, we are doing a valuable service. When someone reaches out, take their hand. They are saying that they trust your wisdom.
—DailyOm for Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Source: DailyOM email subscription
Today, May 24, 2005, would have been the 58th birthday of my late wife, Maureen. She passed away from complications from cholangiocarcinoma August 15, 2005, shortly after her 50th birthday. I learned much about life, love, cancer, friends, family and my character sharing life with her for just over 27 years of marriage. Altogether, we knew each other for 31 years. I honor her life, in spite of my still harboring some very unpleasant memories of my experiences with her. I do pray she has found peace and forgiveness on the other side of the veil. I forgive her for the injuries she inflicted upon me, both emotionally and physically. I pray that our daughter, Jennifer, may one day be moved to reconciliation with me.
More like this: DailyOM | Inspirational | Motivating | Profound
May 23, 2005
Taking Risks
And the trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more.
—Erica Jong
Source: Daily Inspirational Calendar Tuesday May 17, 2005 entry
See also the author online at, Erica Jong Web Site
May 14, 2005
No More Rewarding a Career
U.S. Navy PHAN Jeremy L. Grisham
USS LABOON (DDG-58) Underway April 2004
Atlantic Ocean (April 24, 2004) The guided missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG 58) steams south toward the Florida coast. Laboon was one of several ships invited to take part in "Fleet Week 2005" in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (RELEASED)
I can imagine no more rewarding a career. And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: 'I served in the United States Navy.'
—President John F. Kennedy, 1 August 1963, in Bancroft Hall at the U. S. Naval Academy.
Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: John F. Kennedy, Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President, January 1 to November 22, 1963 [Washington: Government Printing Office, 1964], 620
May 11, 2005
Triumph of Enthusiasm
Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no matter how frightening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity but with it you can accomplish miracles.
—Og Mandino
Source: Daily Inspirational Calendar Tuesday, May 10, 2005 entry
See also: The World of Og Mandino, Salesman
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating
May 8, 2005
Reliving V-E Day in the City of Lights
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day.
—Shakespeare: Henry V
Regarding V-E (Victory in Europe) Day 60 years ago today. The Germans have surrendered. We are still in Paris. The six of us who have been together since England are standing on the parapet of Sacred Heart Cathedral atop Montmartre, overlooking the city. It is getting darker by the minute. Night is falling.
At almost the moment of total darkness Paris has been blacked out for four years we are overwhelmed. There is an explosion of light and music everywhere in the city.
In a single moment every streetlight, every electric sign, every square decorated with festive lanterns springs to life as bands in each of these places begin to play. The sound of the singing of "La Marseillaise" comes from everywhere. The war is over in Europe! The nightmare is ended.
For Europe, Parisians, the darkness is now behind them. I can now look forward to going home, to once again hug and kiss my mother, my sister, and to be with my beloved Anita and be married, a union that is now in its 60th year.
—Seymour Robinson
Source: Mr.Seymour Robinson's Letter to the Editor of the Los Angeles Times May 8, 2005
See also: US State Department's Eyewitness to History: Recollections of VE Day 1945
More like this: Inspirational | Love | Motivating | Profound
May 2, 2005
Cross the Sea
You cannot cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.
—R. Tagore
Source: Inspirational Calendar April 30/May 1, 2005 entry
April 28, 2005
Music is Most Universal
Among the many forces in which the human spirit has tried to express its innermost yearnings and perceptions, music is perhaps the most universal. It symbolizes humanity's search for harmony, with oneself and others, with nature, and with the spiritual and sacred within and around us.
—attributed to HH the Dalai Lama
Source: Words of Wisdom Daily Calendar, Thursday, April 28th 2005 entry
See Also: The Tibetan Government in Exile: About His Holiness The Dalai Lama
More like this: Dalai Lama | Famous People | Inspirational | Spiritual | Teaching
April 21, 2005
Most Beautiful in the World
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.
—Helen Keller
Source: Helen Keller Quotes - The Quotation Page
April 18, 2005
See Things, Say Why
You see things; and you say, "Why?"
but I dream things that never were; and say, "Why not?"
—George Bernard Shaw
Source: Daily Inspirational Calendar, Friday, April 15, 2005
More like this: Creative | Famous People | Inspirational
April 17, 2005
Sentence as Primary Element
The sentence is my primary element, my tool, goal, bliss. Each new sentence is a heart-in-the mouth experiment.
—Cynthia Ozick
Source: Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac for Sunday, April 17, 2005
Cynthia Ozick was born on April 17, 1928. See also Cynthia Ozick's online biography
April 5, 2005
Watch Your Thoughts
Watch your thoughts; they become your words.
Watch your words; they become your actions.
Watch your actions; they become your habits.
Watch your habits; they become your character.
Watch your character; they become your destiny.
—Unknown
Source: Teachers Calendar Thursday, February 5, 2004 entry
April 4, 2005
Purpose in Life
. . . . I wish you a great life filled with wisdom, happiness and fullfilment. May your days be spent in work that is engaging, on pursuits that are inspiring and with people who are loving. I'd like to leave you with the following words of George Bernard Shaw, which capture the essence of the final lesson far better than I ever could:
This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being a true force of Nature instead of a feverish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and, as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its sake. Life is no brief candle for me. It's a sort of splendid torch which I've got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
Source: Who Will Cry When You Die? Life Lessons From the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin S. Sharma 1999 HarpersCollins ISBN 0-00-638578-8
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Profound
March 19, 2005
Achieve the Impossible
To achieve the impossible, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought.
—Tom Robbins
Source: Daily Inspirations Calendar, Friday, March 18, 2005
See also: Tom Robbins Quotes - ThinkExist Quotations
and Tom Robbins biographical entry on WikiPedia.
More like this: Creative | Famous People | Inspirational
March 17, 2005
Family and Links
In every conceivable way, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.
—Alex Haley
Source: CA 100 students contribution on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, 2005
See also: Alex Haley on WisdomQuotes.com
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
March 13, 2005
Birth of Second Grandson
Call it "womb awe" or even "womb worship" but it's not simple envy. I don't remember even wanting to be a woman. But each of the three times I have been present at the birth of one of my children, I have been overwhelmed by a sense of reverence... It was quite suddenly, the first day of creation; the Goddess giving birth to a world... Like men since the beginning of time I wondered: What can I ever create that will equal the magnificence of this new life?
—Sam Keen
Source: Sam Keen Quotes on ThinkExist.com
This entry is dedicated to our second Grandson, born this day, Sunday, March 13, 2005 in Vancouver, WA. He was 7lbs 9ozs and 21 inches of pure love. His Grandma was in the Birthing Room and was privileged to be present at his birth. We both had the distinct and profound honor of cradling him in our arms on his first day of life.
March 8, 2005
Mt. Saint Helens Erupts March 8, '05
Rich & Carol Wersinger 08 MAR 05
Click on image to enlarge.
We took this shot on Mar. 8, 2005 about 1735 PST Mar. 8, 2005, very shortly after the eruption was observed. We are about 30 miles sw of Mount Saint Helens. This eruption started in earnest about 1720 pst today. The ash plume altitude was estimated at 30,000 feet
I see the mind of the 5-year-old as a volcano with two vents: destructiveness and creativeness.
—Sylvia Ashton-Warner
We stood with less than a dozen of our neighbors in profound awe at the raw power of mother nature. We could see in the ash plume some of the newest soil of Mother Earth's surface. We were witnessing Mother Earth recycling at her finest. We were grateful that we stood upwind of the ash plume and were in no immediate danger. See the Mt Saint Helens National Monument VolcanoCam Live Images Archives.
Overcome Adversity
Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity.
—Lou Holtz
March 6, 2005
Nurturing Element in Us All
There's a nurturing element to all human beings, whenever they themselves have been nurtured, and it's going to be expressed one way or another.
—Fred Rogers
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar Friday, March 4, 2005
—From the book The World According to Mr. Rogers by Fred Rogers 2003 ISBN 1-4013-0106-1
See also: Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
March 5, 2005
With My Heart
I teach with my heart and my soul and not with my mouth alone.
—Jaime Escalante
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar Thursday, March 3, 2005
March 3, 2005
A Few Blisters
If you want a place in the sun, you have to put up with a few blisters.
—Abigail Van Buren
Source: Inspirational Daily Calendar 19/20 February 2005, Saturday/Sunday entry
February 23, 2005
Whole Idea of Living
The whole idea of living is to believe the best is yet to come.
—Peter Ustinov
Source: Expect a Miracle series window card by Compendium, Inc.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
February 19, 2005
To Change Our World
Think of an idea to change our world
——and put it into ACTION!
—Mr. Eugene Simonet (Middle School Social Studies Teacher) played by Kevin Spacey in the movie Pay It Forward (2000)
Source: Pay It Forward DVD ISBN: 0-7907-5680-3
Mr. Simonet's Social Studies assignment to his seventh graders that inspired the character Trevor McKinney's Pay It Forward idea. Trevor was played by the young actor Haley Joel Osment.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound | Spiritual | Teaching
February 18, 2005
Losing & Winning
The next best thing to winning is losing! At least you've been in the race.
—Nellie Hershey Tullis
Source: Inspirations Daily Calendar entry February 4, 2005
February 15, 2005
Ants in the Lunchroom
Appearing this morning at quarter past nine
they entered our lunchroom and mustered a line.
They seemed to be dancing, or whistling a tune,
then ran out the door with a fork and a spoon.
They quickly came back for a knife and a plate,
not bothered at all by the size or the weight.
They grabbed all the glasses and cups they could find.
They bagged every bowl, leaving nothing behind.
They worked through the morning, 'til mid-afternoon,
and carried off every last saucer and spoon.
They searched every shelf and they emptied each drawer,
then pilfered the platters and dashed out the door.
They put on a truly impressive display
until they were finished and wandered away.
Although we were puzzled, we had to conclude
those ants were no dummies; they left all the food.
Source: Kiddie Thoughts: Thoughtful Poems Ants in the Lunchroom
This entry is dedicated to my friend and fellow poetry lovers Tucker and Hannah.
Tucker's Mom, Krista, shared with me the other day about how Tucker memorized this poem, and recited the entire poem at his school's poetry workshop, parents and schoolmates all. His Mom told me how splendidly he did, and that he got tremendous laughs and applause.
Hannah's Mom told me about Hannah's original poem and that she confidently and proudly recited her poem at the poetry program.
I am inspired by these two wonderful children's deep love of poetry.
Aho, Tucker and Hannah
February 14, 2005
Treasure This Day
Treasure this day, and treasure yourself.
Truly, neither will ever happen again.
—Ray Bradbury
Source: Expect a Miracle series window card by Compendium, Inc.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
February 10, 2005
Dreams We Can Make Come True
How great it is when we come to know that time of disappointment can be followed by times of fulfillment; that sorrow can be followed by joy; that guilt over falling short of our ideals can be replaced by pride in doing all we can; and that anger can be channeled into creative achievements...and into dreams that we can make come true.
—Fred Rogers
Source: The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember by Fred Rogers 2003 ISBN 1-4013-0106-1
See also: Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Motivating
February 6, 2005
Affection & Compassion
At the beginning of our lives and again when we become old we appreciate others' help and affection. Unfortunately, between these two periods of our lives, when we are strong and able and can look after ourselves, we neglect the value of affection and compassion.
—attributed to HH the Dalai Lama
Source: Words of Wisdom Daily Calendar, Wednesday, December 8th 2004 (First Day of Hanukkah) entry
See Also: The Tibetan Government in Exile: About His Holiness The Dalai Lama
More like this: Dalai Lama | Famous People | Inspirational | Love | Motivating
February 5, 2005
Wish for Children
My own wish for children is that they learn to find joy even amidst the world's and their own imperfections, that they grow to have a clear but forgiving interior voice to guide them, and that they come to have a reasonable sense of shame without unreasonable burdens of guilt.
—Fred Rogers
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar February 4, 2005 entry
from the book The World According to Mr. Rogers by Fred Rogers
See also: Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound | Teaching
February 3, 2005
Saddest Four Words....
The saddest words of tongue or pen are these words ---it might have been.
---Oliver Wendell Holmes
Source: Whatever It Takes series window card by Compendium, Inc.
See also: ThinkExist.com's Oliver Wendell Holmes Quotations
January 30, 2005
Chance Favors?
Chance favors the
prepared mind.
---Unknown
Source: January 30th entry: Office Perpetual Calendar by Judy Johannesen, Haymarket, Virginia
January 29, 2005
Who is Your Mentor and Teacher?
The mentor/teacher is the person who sees who you are, sees your beauty, falls in love with it, helps and inspires it, giving it a chance to bloom in the world.
---James Hillman
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar, January 20, 2005 entry
See also: Insight & Outlook's Interview with James Hillman
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Teaching
January 18, 2005
To Be Noble
To be good is noble, but to teach others how to be good is nobler
--and less trouble.
---Mark Twain - Doctor Van Dyke speech, 1906
Source: MarkTwain Quotations Teaching.
See twainquotes.com for more Mark Twain quotations.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
January 17, 2005
I Have a Dream
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood . . . that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today
---Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar, January 15/16, 2005 entry
See also: American Rhetoric's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: I Have a Dream
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating | Profound
January 13, 2005
Until It is Faced
Not everything that is faced can be changed,
But nothing can be changed until it is faced.
---James Baldwin
Source: Inspirations Daily Calendar Wednesday, January 12, 2005 entry
See James Baldwin Biography on BrainyEncyclopedia.com
January 2, 2005
Teaching's Purpose
We're here to help children succeed. It's that simple.
---Elaine Collins
Source: Teachers: Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes 2005 Calendar for Saturday and Sunday, January 1/2, 2005 published by Andrews McMeel Publishing ISBN: 0-7407-4487-9
December 29, 2004
99 Ways to say "Good job"
Here I am on vacation and still thinking about teaching!
Hope this (long) list is of some help. On the theory that positive comments are
more valuable than negative, perhaps this list will help. It's an old list and
it's been around and some of it is obvious, but it may be helpful to remind ourselves
of the value of being positive with students.
1. You're on the right track now!
2. You're doing a good job!
3. You did a lot of work today.
4. Now you've figured it out.
5. That's RIGHT!
6. Now you have the hang of it.
7. That's the way!
8. You're really going to town.
9. You're doing fine.
10. Now you have it!
11. Nice going.
12. That's coming along nicely.
13. That's great
14. You did it that time!
15. GREAT!
16. FANTASTIC!
17. TERRIFIC!
18. Good for you.
19. You outdid yourself today.
20. GOOD WORK!
21. That's better.
22. Exce11ent!
23. That's a good boy/girl!
24. Good job, (Robert)!
25. That's the best you've ever done.
26. Good going!
27. Keep it up.
28. That's really nice.
29. WOW!
30. Keep up the good work!
31. Much better!
32. Good for you!
33. That's very much better.
34. Good thinking!
35. Exactly right!
36. SUPER!
37. Nice going.
38. You make it look easy.
39. I've never seen anyone do it better.
40. You are doing that much better today.
41. Way to go!
42. Not bad.
43. SUPERB!
44. You're getting better every day.
45. WONDERFUL
46. I knew you could do it.
47. Keep working on it; you're getting better
48. You're doing beautifully.
49. You're really working hard today.
50. That's the way to do it!
51. Keep on trying!
52. THAT'S it.
53. Nothing can stop you now.
54. You1ve got it made!
55. You are very good at that..
56. You are learning fast.
57. I'm very proud of you.
58. You certainly did well today.
59. You've just about got it.
60. That's good.
61. Jim -- happy to see you working like that.
62. Jim -- proud of the way you worked today.
63. That's the right way to do it.
64. You are really learning a lot.
65. That's better than ever.
66. That's quite an improvement.
67. That kind of work makes me very happy.
68. MARVELOUS!
69. You've figured it out.
70. PERFECT!
71. That's not half bad.
72. FINE!
73. You've got your brain in gear today.
74. That's IT!
75. WOW! figured that out fast,
76. You remembered!
77. You're really improving.
78. I think you've got it now.
79. Well look at you go!
80. You've got that down pat.
81. TREMENDOUS!
82. OUTSTANDING!
83. I like that.
84. Couldn't have done it better myself.
85. Now that's what I call a fine job.
86. You did that very well.
87. Congratulations!
88. That was first class work.
89. Right on!
90. SENSATIONAL!
91. That's the best ever.
92. Good remembering.
93. You haven't missed a thing.
94. It's a pleasure to teach when you work like that.
95. You really make my job fun.
96. Congratulations! You got (number) right!
97. You've just about mastered that.
98. One more time and you'll have it.
99. You must have been practicing.
----Creative Teaching December 2004 Newsletter
Source: Creative Teaching Web site periodic newsletter
December 26, 2004
Christmas Gifts Ideas for 2005
Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.
---Oren Arnold
December 23, 2004
I Think of You
That this longing for you follows wherever I go
In the roaring traffic's boom
In the silence of my lonely room
I think of you
Day and night, night and day
Under the hide of me
There's an oh such a hungry yearning burning inside of me
And this torment won't be through
Until you let me spend my life making love to you
Day and night, night and day
---Cole Porter Night and Day lyrics
Source: Written by Cole Porter 1932 for the show The Gay Divorcee
December 21, 2004
Winter Solstice: 2004
Today, December 21st, 2004 is the Winter Solstice.
Solstice means... standing-still-sun
Winter solstice is when...
...because of the earth's tilt, your hemisphere is leaning farthest away from the sun, and therefore:
The daylight is the shortest.
The sun has its lowest arc in the sky.
When it's winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is directly overhead at noon only along the Tropic of Capricorn, on which lie such places as Sao Paulo, Brazil, southern Madagascar, and areas north of Brisbane, Australia.
Winter solstice for 2004 will occur at 4:42 am PST on December 21. If you want to be precise about it, please be sure to correct for your time zone.
---Teresa Ruano Ancient Origins: Solstice
Source: CandleGrove.com's Ancient Origins of Holidays: Winter Solstice
What made the winter solstice so special? Well, it marked the mid-point of winter, and it was one of the four cardinal points of the year, the others being the summer solstice, and the two equinoxes; and in many cultures, all of this had a special metaphysical significance. It was all part of a sensibility about the orderly periodicity of the universe, the oscillation of the yearly cycle, a process of continual birth, death and renewal. All of this mirrored itself in the lives of animals and human beings, too. There is good reason to suspect that funereal rituals and belief in some kind of afterlife evolved, in part, from the perception that nature renewed itself; that crops and plants grew again after the dormancy of winter.
---Conrad F. Goeringer
Source: WINTER SOLSTICE: SUN, MOON AND WORSHIP by Conrad F. Goeringer, December 17, 2000 at the New Jersey Winter Solstice Luncheon.
December 20, 2004
Improve Standards
By reaching for a height we cannot touch, we improve standards.
---Unknown
Source: December 20th entry: Office Perpetual Calendar by Judy Johannesen, Haymarket, Virginia
December 17, 2004
Wright Brothers Take Flight
It was on this day in 1903 that Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully completed the first sustained, power-driven flight, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The Wright brothers had chosen Kitty Hawk because of its consistently high winds, and had practiced there with gliders in 1900 and 1902. By 1903 they had built an engine that would allow them to fly, and discovered a new method for steering during flight. Each brother flew twice, but it was the final flight, made by Wilbur, that was actually controlled and lasted the longest, fifty-nine seconds. The first flight, made by Orville, lasted twelve seconds and was recorded in a now-famous photograph. The flights were witnessed by four adults and a boy. They were reported only by local newspapers, and much of the reporting was not accurate.
Source: Wright Brothers History: The Tale of the Airplane, A Brief Account of the Invention of the Airplane researched, written, and designed by Gary Bradshaw
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating
December 9, 2004
The Incredible to Be Known
Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
---Blaise Pascal
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar for Tuesday, December 7, 2004
See also Blaise Pascal on Wikipedia
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
December 7, 2004
Pearl Harbor Attacked, Dec. 7, 1941
Source: Eyewitness to History
World War 2 Era Poster (1942) Commemorating the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to the Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. While this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. Very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. This morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implicationsto the very life and safety of our nation.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger. With confidence in our armed forces -- with the unbounded determination of our people -- we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December seventh, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.
----President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, December 8, 1941 Address to Joint Session of the U.S. Congress
Source: Social Justice Speeches Project A Date Which Will Live in Infamy by Franklin Delano Roosevelt
December 4, 2004
An Instrument of Your Peace
Lord, make me an instrument of Your 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;
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; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
---St Francis of Assisi
Source: CatholicWomen.com's Kitchen Catechism St. Francis' Prayer
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Poetry | Profound
December 3, 2004
Stand Often
Stand often in the company of dreamers,
they believe in doing impossibilities.
---Mary Anne MBL Radmacher
Source: Seen on a poster at the Cannon Beach Spa, Cannon Beach, OR in 2004.
December 1, 2004
Enlightened Leader is Heedful
No leader should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; no leader should fight simply out of pique. But a kingdom that has once been destroyed can never come again into being; nor can the dead ever be brought back to life. Hence the enlightened leader is heedful, and the good leader full of caution.
---Sun Tzu (c. 6th-5th century B.C.)
Source: Military Encounters: Quotations on War & Peace edited by Robert Edwards 2004 Barnes & Noble Books ISBN 0-7607-6324-0
More like this: Ancient Thoughts | Famous People | Inspirational
November 28, 2004
Holy Curiosity
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality.
It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.
---Albert Einstein (attributed)
Source: Albert Einstein - Wikiquote
More like this: Einstein | Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
November 25, 2004
Thankfulness
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
--Melody Beattie
Source: QuoteLady.com's Thankfulness Quotes Page
I dedicate this day, Thanksgiving Day, 2004, to all my family, near and far, and how deeply thankful I am that I am in their lives. I am also very, very grateful for the friends of my life, those now in my life and those who have faded away from closeness. All have been my blessings.
November 22, 2004
Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You
And so, my fellow americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
---John F. Kennedy, Inaugural address, January 20, 1961
Source: The Quotations Page of President John F. Kennedy Quotes
America's leadership must be guided by the lights of learning and reason or else those who confuse rhetoric with reality and the plausible with the possible will gain the popular ascendancy with their seemingly swift and simple solutions to every world problem.
---President John F. Kennedy,
Remarks Prepared for Delivery at the Trade Mart in Dallas, November 22, 1963
(Never Delivered)
Source: John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Remarks Prepared for Delivery at the Trade Mart in Dallas
This entry is dedicated to the memory of President John F. Kennedy
On Friday, November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was shot as he rode in a motorcade through the streets of Dallas, Texas. At his death, the 35th president was 46 years old and had served less than three years in office. During that short time, Kennedy and his young wife, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, became immensely popular both at home and abroad.
Read more about this Day in History, November 22 on the Library of Congress Web site.
November 19, 2004
The Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place for those who died here that the nation might live. This we may, in all propriety do. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have hallowed it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.
It is rather for us the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
---Abraham Lincoln November 19, 1863
Source: University of Oklahoma Law Center's U.S. Historical Documents Collection
Explanatory notes on the National Archives' ourdocuments.gov
Perhaps the most famous battle of the Civil War took place at Gettysburg, PA, July 1 to July 3, 1863. At the end of the battle, the Union's Army of the Potomac had successfully repelled the second invasion of the North by the Confederacy's Army of Northern Virginia. Several months later, President Lincoln went to Gettysburg to speak at the dedication of the cemetery for the Union war dead. Speaking of a "new birth of freedom," he delivered one of the most memorable speeches in U.S. history.
At the end of the Battle of Gettysburg, more than 51,000 Confederate and Union soldiers were wounded, missing, or dead. Many of those who died were laid in makeshift graves along the battlefield. Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin commissioned David Wills, an attorney, to purchase land for a proper burial site for the deceased Union soldiers. Wills acquired 17 acres for the cemetery, which was planned and designed by landscape architect William Saunders.
The cemetery was dedicated on November 19, 1863. The main speaker for the event was Edward Everett, one of the nations foremost orators. President Lincoln was also invited to speak as Chief Executive of the nation, formally [to] set apart these grounds to their sacred use by a few appropriate remarks. At the ceremony, Everett spoke for more than 2 hours; Lincoln spoke for 2 minutes.
President Lincoln had given his brief speech a lot of thought. He saw meaning in the fact that the Union victory at Gettysburg coincided with the nations birthday; but rather than focus on the specific battle in his remarks, he wanted to present a broad statement about the larger significance of the war. He invoked the Declaration of Independence, and its principles of liberty and equality, and he spoke of a new birth of freedom for the nation. In his brief address, he continued to reshape the aims of the war for the American peopletransforming it from a war for Union to a war for Union and freedom. Although Lincoln expressed disappointment in the speech initially, it has come to be regarded as one of the most elegant and eloquent speeches in U.S. history.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
November 5, 2004
Call to Action
Here's my advice: You had a couple of days to indulge your depression - now, get over it. The election's been lost but there's still a country to save, and with the current leadership that won't be easy. Crucial matters that have been taken for granted too long - like the Supreme Court and Social Security - are at risk. Caving in to depression and a sense of helplessness should not be an option when the country is speeding toward an abyss.
Roll up your sleeves and do what you can. Talk to your neighbors. Call or write your elected officials. Volunteer to help in political campaigns. Circulate petitions. Attend meetings. Protest. Run for office. Support good candidates who are running for office. Register people to vote. Reach out to the young and the apathetic. Raise money. Stay informed. And vote, vote, vote - every chance you get.
Democracy is a breeze during good times. It's when the storms are raging that citizenship is put to the test. And there's a hell of a wind blowing right now.
---BOB HERBERT
Source: Bob's NY Times OpEd O.K., Folks: Back to Work published: November 5, 2004
[Bob was addressing voters and supporters of John Kerry's bid for the Presidency in the 2004 election]
November 1, 2004
A Fine Navy Day
US Navy photo at Navy Newstand Gallery
Guided missile destroyer USS HOWARD (DDG 83), left, and fast combat support ship USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7) cruise in formation in WESTPAC
South China Sea (Sept. 17, 2004) - Guided missile destroyer USS HOWARD (DDG 83), left, and fast combat support ship USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7) cruise in formation behind the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Howard and Rainier is part of the Stennis Carrier Strike Group (CSG) currently [in September 2004] participating in a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific Ocean. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Mark J. Rebilas (RELEASED)
USS HOWARD (DDG-83) honors Viet Nam War hero GYSGT Jimmie E. Howard, USMC. His Medal of Honor citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty. G/Sgt. Howard and his 18-man platoon were occupying an observation post deep within enemy-controlled territory. Shortly after midnight a Viet Cong force of estimated battalion size approached the Marines' position and launched a vicious attack with small arms, automatic weapons, and mortar fire. Reacting swiftly and fearlessly in the face of the overwhelming odds, G/Sgt. Howard skillfully organized his small but determined force into a tight perimeter defense and calmly moved from position to position to direct his men's fire. Throughout the night, during assault after assault, his courageous example and firm leadership inspired and motivated his men to withstand the unrelenting fury of the hostile fire in the seemingly hopeless situation. He constantly shouted encouragement to his men and exhibited imagination and resourcefulness in directing their return fire. When fragments of an exploding enemy grenade wounded him severely and prevented him from moving his legs, he distributed his ammunition to the remaining members of his platoon and proceeded to maintain radio communications and direct air strikes on the enemy with uncanny accuracy. At dawn, despite the fact that 5 men were killed and all but 1 wounded, his beleaguered platoon was still in command of its position. When evacuation helicopters approached his position, G/Sgt. Howard warned them away and called for additional air strikes and directed devastating small-arms fire and air strikes against enemy automatic weapons positions in order to make the landing zone as secure as possible. Through his extraordinary courage and resolute fighting spirit, G/Sgt. Howard was largely responsible for preventing the loss of his entire platoon. His valiant leadership and courageous fighting spirit served to inspire the men of his platoon to heroic endeavor in the face of overwhelming odds, and reflect the highest credit upon G/Sgt. Howard, the Marine Corps, and the U.S. Naval ServiceWhen I worked for the US Navy's AEGIS Program Office I was helping to build ships such as the USS HOWARD (DDG-83). I am proud of my contribution to our Navy. And that evening, in this photo looks like it must have been a Fine Navy Day
Source: Official US Navy Newstand Eye on the Fleet Photo Gallery (Destroyers)
October 25, 2004
Unheralded Lives, But...
The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor.
But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.
---Leo Buscaglia
Source: The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
See also the World of Leo Buscaglia
October 17, 2004
The Journey; Not the Destination
Accomplishments will prove to be a journey, not a destination.
---Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)
Source: Creative Quotations for Dwight D. Eiesenhower, born October 16
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
October 16, 2004
Service to Others
The quickest way to change the world is to be of service to others. Show that your love can make a difference in the lives of people and thereby someone else's love can make a difference in your life. By each of us doing that and working together we change the world one inner person at a time.
---Dannion Brinkley
Source: Compassion in Action Home Page
October 15, 2004
Contact with Life
Making Contact
I believe
The greatest gift
I can conceive of having
from anyone
is to be seen by them,
heard by them,
to be understood
and
touched by them.
The greatest gift
I can give
is
to see, hear, understand
and to touch
another person.
When this is done
I feel
contact has been made.
---Virginia Satir
Source: Teaching With Fire: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Teach Sam M. Intrator & Megan Scribner, editors
ISBN: 0-7879-6970-2
David Gurteen's Knowledge Web Site Virginia Satir Page
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
October 8, 2004
Imagine
To know is nothing at all; to imagine is everything.
----Anatole France Thibault
Source: Teachers daily calendar, Thursday, October 8, 2004
September 21, 2004
Happiness For All
Everybody wants a happy life.
Me too.
---Dalai Lama
Source: Words of Wisdom Daily Calendar, Monday, September 20th entry
More like this: Dalai Lama | Famous People | Inspirational
September 19, 2004
To Sea Again
Call me Ishmael. Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off - then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.
--Ishmael from Herman Melville's Moby Dick
Read a really COOOL Last Minute Book Report on this Book, Moby Dick
Source: Prineton University's Moby Dick Online Chapter i - Loomings
September 11, 2004
Courage: What is It?
Love makes courage necessary. And it's love that makes courage possible for all of us to possess. You get courage by loving something more than your own well-being. When you love virtue, when you love freedom, when you love other people, you find the strength to demand courage of yourself and of those who aspire to lead you. Only then will you find the courage, as Eleanor Roosevelt put it, "to do the thing you think you cannot do."
--Sen. John McCain
Source: FastCompany magazine article In Search of Courage by Senator John McCain, FastCompany Issue 86 September 2004
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Profound
September 6, 2004
First Labor Day, 1882
On September 5, 1882, some 10,000 workers assembled in New York City to participate in America's first Labor Day parade. After marching from City Hall to Union Square, the workers and their families gathered in Reservoir Park for a picnic, concert, and speeches. This first Labor Day celebration was initiated by Peter J. McGuire, a carpenter and labor union leader who a year earlier cofounded the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, a precursor of the American Federation of Labor.
McGuire had proposed his idea for a holiday honoring American workers at a labor meeting in early 1882. New York's Central Labor Union quickly approved his proposal and began planning events for the second Tuesday in September. McGuire had suggested a September date in order to provide a break during the long stretch between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. While the first Labor Day was held on a Tuesday, the holiday was soon moved to the first Monday in September, the date we continue to honor.
Source: The Library of Congress' This Day in History
September 1, 2004
We Can Be Undefeatable
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.
---Helen Keller:
Graduated from Radcliffe College in 1904. She was the first blind-and-deaf student ever to graduate from any college anywhere.
Source: The Writer's Alamanac: Garrison Keillor, For Wednesday, September 1st, 2004
Defining Moment
....and when a defining moment comes along, you define the moment... or the moment defines you.
---the character Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy played by Kevin Costner in the Movie Tin Cup
Source: Memorable Quotes from the movie: Tin Cup (1996)
August 31, 2004
Cheer Yourself Up
Today's Secret:
A great way to cheer yourself up is to cheer someone else up!
---I'm Proud of You...
Source: I'm Proud of You window card Lunch Mail series, Compendium, Inc., Lynnewood, WA
August 27, 2004
Laughing is Good for Us
Laughter is irrefutably contagious and many times more powerful when shared. A funny situation shared among friends is immensely more enjoyable than when experienced alone. The power of laughters contagion is illustrated everywhere from the collective snickers of children in a classroom to the use of television laugh tracks to elicit laughter from the viewing audience.
---The Guide to Laughing Institute
Source: Power of Laughter by The Guide to Laughing Institute online.
August 25, 2004
Imagination (Redux)
Without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of the imagination is incalculable.
---Carl Jung
Source: Teachers daily calendar entry for Tuesday, August 24, 2004
August 23, 2004
Imagination is Boundless
The world of reality has its limits;
the world of imagination is boundless.
---Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Source: Teachers daily calendar entry for Sat/Sun, August 21/22, 2004
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Teaching
August 13, 2004
Passionate About?
Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.
---Julia Child (1912-2004)
Source: Zaadz.com Quotes by Julia Child.
From Words of Women, Quotations for Success, by Power Dynamics Publishing, 1997
Julia Child, TV's Gourmet `French Chef' of '60s, Dies
Aug. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Julia Child, the gourmet TV chef who turned kitchen drudgery into entertainment as she moved the traditional U.S. home-cooked fare beyond meat loaf and mashed potatoes to French cuisine, is dead. She was 91.
Child died yesterday in her sleep while at home in Santa Monica, California, said Nicholas Latimer, director of publicity for her publisher, Alfred A. Knopf in Manhattan.
August 11, 2004
Universal Human Rights
I write this on the 86th birthday [July 19, 2004] of Nelson Mandela, who is also a chair-man. He is the chairman of the social conscience of the human race. He never gave up he never gave in. He is the living proof that the long goal, the great dream, is paid for by those who do what they can with what they have where they are, day by day by day by day. Until someday, when humankind realizes how far we have come by virtue of the steadfastness of those who have clear maps in their minds for the invisible road that leads to universal human rights. Every day he persevered moved us all further down the road.
---Robert Fulghum
Source: Robert Fulghum's Current Stories, July 19, 2004 entry.
On this day, we celebrate the ninety-second birthday of my dear Father-in-Law, Earl. He is truly an inspiration and a friend. I cherish his brotherhood, and his faith and love in me and my sweet bride and wife, his daughter. I can only hope to be half as vibrant and full of life when I am 92 as he is today. Bless you, Dad.
More like this: Famous People | Inspirational | Motivating
August 8, 2004
Make a Mistake?
When you make a mistake, don't look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.
---Hugh White: US Politician (1773 - 1840)
Source: Hugh White pages on the QuotationPages.com.
The past can not be changed. The future is yet in your power.
---Hugh White: US Politician (1773 - 1840)
Source: The above quotation extract inscribed on the reverse of my late wife's grave marker in St. Athanasius Church yard, Vienna, Virginia, USA. We were married on this day in 1970 in the Charleston Naval Base Chapel, Charleston, SC. She passed over on August 15, 1997 after a year long struggle with the devastation of cholangiocarcinoma. Our relationship in that marriage included, sadly, some very tumultuos years. She was an abusive wife.
August 1, 2004
Important Promises
the most important promises are the ones you make to yourself.
---mary anne m.b.l. radmacher
Source: scribe: mary anne m.b.l. radmacher online at word garden
July 29, 2004
Passion and Action of Our Time
As life is action and passion, it is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of his time,
at the peril of being judged not to have lived.
---Oliver Wendell Holmes
Source: Brainyquote.com
July 28, 2004
Kindness Shown Today?
Have you had a kindness shown today?
Pass it on.
--Henry Burton
Source: Practice Kindness series window card by Compendium, Inc.
July 18, 2004
If Thou Kiss Not Me?
The sunlight clasps the earth
And the moonbeams kiss the sea:
What are all these kissings worth
If thou kiss not me?
---Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet
Source: The Kiss 1992 Running Press Book Miniature Edition ISBN 1-56138-149-7
from Shelley's poem Love's Philosophy
July 13, 2004
I Forgive You
And throughout all Eternity
I forgive you, you forgive me.
---William Blake from his poem Broken Love
June 24, 2004
Attitude: My, You Do Have An Attitude!
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.
It will make or break a company a church a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the past we cannot change the fact that people will act a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you we are in charge of our attitudes.
---Charles Swindoll
Source: Shared with me by my Bride on Monday, June 21, 2004
This quote of Charles Swindoll very much feels to me almost the same sentiment expressed by Robert Fulghum in his Credo: Imagination is Stronger.
June 17, 2004
Love What You Do
To love what you do and feel that it matters -- how could anything be more fun?
---Katharine Graham (1917-2001)
Source: Creative Quotations from Katharine Graham by the Creative Quotations Web Site
June 15, 2004
Imagination Stronger than Knowledge
I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge -
That myth is more potent than history.
I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts -
That hope always triumphs over experience -
That laughter is the only cure for grief.
And I believe that love is stronger than death.
---Robert Fulghum
Source: Robert Fulghum's Credo on his Official Web Site
Happy Birthday, daughter Jennifer, on your 30th. How precious you are and I love you,
Your Dad.
June 11, 2004
Your Fears
Never let your fears hold you back from pursuing your hopes.
---John F. Kennedy
Source: Expect a Miracle series window card, Compendium, Inc., Lynnwood, WA
May 22, 2004
Begin to Live
We cannot predict the exact hour or day we begin to live:
when we not only accept others, but learn to accept ourselves, discovering our passions and pursuing them fearlesssly.
May we perservere to create a better world through compassion for humanity and reverence for a purpose higher than our own. With utmost strength, we hope to exceed expectations in the face of adversity while upholding a strong sense of moral conviction. By inspiring future generations, we will take pride in knowing we did not only walk the road but left footprints for all to follow.
---Cinco Ranch High School, Class of 2004
Source: Vision Statement Class of 2004, Cinco Ranch High School, Katy (TX) Independent School District
Mr.W's nephew is a member of this Class of 2004. Graduated May 21, 2004.
May 17, 2004
Kind Words
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
---Mother Teresa
Source: Practice Kindness window card series, Compendium, Inc., Lynnwood, WA
April 22, 2004
Mountain Ahead
It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out; it's the grain of sand in your shoe.
---Robert W. Service
Source: Great Quotations by Robert W. Service on the People's Cyber Nation (TPCN) Web site
March 28, 2004
Possibilitarian
Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see them, for they're always there.
---Norman Vincent Peale
Source: The Teachers Daily Calendar Thursday, March, 25, 2004
March 23, 2004
Think You Cannot
"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
---Eleanor Roosevelt
The Quotations Page on Eleanor Roosevelt
Andrew's quote struck me as so similar to Eleanor Roosevelt's they had to be included on the same day!
Want to Do
"Sometimes you have to do what you don't want to do, to do what you want to do."
---Andrew Starks
Source: Student in one of my Winter 2004 classes
March 21, 2004
Simply Believe
"There's no way to know what is possible for us in this world. Following the example of children, I just simply believe."
---Tiffany Loren Howe
Source: Expect a Miracle series; Compendium, Inc. Edmonds, WA
March 17, 2004
Are You a Dreamer?
We need men who can dream of things that never were."
---John F. Kennedy
Source: From his speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963 found on QuotationsPage.com
March 12, 2004
Treasure Yourself
Treasure this day, and treasure yourself.
Truly, neither will ever happen again.
---Ray Bradbury
Source: Expect a Miracle series, Compendium, Inc., Lynnwood, WA
March 8, 2004
Success, How?
Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.
--Reggie Leach
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar, Thursday, Mar 4.
March 2, 2004
Catch Your Heart
There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few that will catch your heart....
Pursue these.
--unknown
March 1, 2004
Kindness to Each Other
Three things in human life are important:
• The first is to be kind.
• The second is to be kind.
• The third is to be kind.
Source: Teachers Daily Calendar entry for Sat/Sun Feb. 28/29
February 27, 2004
Life is Short
Life is short. Be swift to love! Make haste to be kind.
--Henrie F. Amiel
Teachers Daily Calendar, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2004