Desiderata

Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly & clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull & ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud & aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain & bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons
than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing future of
time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity & disenchantment
it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden
misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue & loneliness.
Beyond wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees & the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors & aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your
soul.
With all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, 1927

Background to 'Desiderata':

"Desiderata" was written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann (1872-1945) of Terre Haute, Indiana. He was a lawyer, businessman, poet, dramatist, and philosopher, who retired at the age of forty-one to devote his life to writing. Confusion about the year in which this prose poem was written arose because in 1956, the rector of St. Paul's Church in Baltimore, Maryland, used the poem in a collection of inspirational material for his congregation. Someone who subsequently printed it mistakenly described it as having been found in Old St. Paul's Church, dated 1692. The year 1692 was the founding date of the church and has nothing to do with the poem.

The recipe for happiness

Recipe For Happiness Will Get Your Life Cooking



Feel like you're simmering on the stove of life?
Well we've cooked up the perfect recipe for you.
The best part is that all the ingredients for a good life are easily within reach.

You'll need...

1 part of knowing who you are
1 part of knowing who you aren't
1 part of knowing what you want
1 part of knowing who you wish to be
1 part of knowing what you already have before you
1 part of choosing wisely from what you have before you
1 part of loving and thanking for ALL you have ("bad" included)

Mixing Instructions:

Combine ingredients together gently and carefully.
Using faith and vision, mix together with strong belief of the outcome, until finely blended.
Use thoughts, words and actions for best results.
Repeat.

Yields unlimited servings!

What I've learned the hard way

"What I've learned the hard way"  

by Bob Perks·        

Don't just stop and smell the roses, touch them, look between the petals  and become the rose.        

There's always plenty of time to pull over to see the rainbow.        

Share whatever you have even if your friend takes more than she/ he should.         

When you fall get up again and again and again.   

It was never as bad as I thought it would be.        

Talk is cheap, action priceless.        

We are all connected.        

I am somebody.        

My parents were right.       

 Dream Big, work Bigger!        

 Read the instructions first.         

Be daring, don't "Open other end."    

Take time to get the right tools he first time.        

Vegetables are good for you.  French fries with cheese count for vegetable and dairy.        

 They were the good old days as long as you believe they were.        

 Hug guys anyway.        

Forget politically correct.  Tell the stranger she looks incredible!       

Hug girls anyway.       

 If you don't know say so.        

"Because I said so"  Is a good enough answer.        

 Let the other guy go first.        

Even when you know your kids won't listen, tell them any way.  It's your job.        

Just one more is always one too many.        

 Regret weighs tons.       

Failure is a lesson learned, not an ending.         

Faith is stronger than fear.  But what you fear, owns you.

Love is always the answer.   

Love your enemies.  If you don't, you are no different then they are     

Keep trying to save the world.        

Have doubt? Try anyway.  Doubt gets you nowhere.    

Sing whenever/wherever you want to and get others to join in.        

 Write poetry and love letters.  They are the whispers of angels.       

Don't just walk by people, smile, say "Hello!"        

"If your friend jumped off a cliff, would you?"  Really is a good question.        

There is no such thing as luck.     Buy a lottery ticket for the $50 million anyway. Maybe it was meant to be.        

Say, "Yes, dear" and mean it.        

Listen like you really care.       

Be there.     There is nothing more important than family.        

God is the head of the family.       

 Even if you heard the joke before listen again and laugh.  Don't steal their joy.        

Your dog always loves you.   Your spouse knows you better.        

 Don't lie.       

Tell the truth, except when someone asks "How old do you think I look?" Lie.      

 "Do I look fat in this?" Lie.        

Buy flowers "just because"  It makes up for all the lying.       

Take care of yourself,  not just for you, but for those who love you.        

Don't forget your anniversary.       If you forget your anniversary...lie.         

Buy more flowers.        

Somehow you will make it through anything, you always have before  That's how you got this far.        

Say "I love you!" more often even when they don't say it to you.         

Sit in a puddle, leave your umbrella in the car, splash, run, jump and roll   down a hill.        

Never turn your nose up at nonsense.         

Clean out your closet.  Give your skinny clothes away.  By the time they fit they'll be out of style and you can go shopping a over again.       

Re-discover your brother/sister.  Why weren't  they this insightful before?  They were. You were too wrapped up in yourself to notice.       

Forgive.       

Ask for forgiveness.        

Pray.       

Believe. 

 Try.   

 Try harder.

 Praise        

 Add to life. Don't just take from it.              

Count your blessings and leave out the bank account and possessions.      

 When I say "I believe in you!"... believe me, I do!

Unwanted house guests

Unwanted house guests

Joseph J. Mazzella
     Have you ever had unwanted house guests? I am talking about the ones who wear out their welcome in the first two minutes yet plan to stay forever. I am talking about the ones who trash the place, eat all the food, sit in your favorite chair, and take over your bed. I am talking about the ones that even your dogs avoid. I am talking about the ones that take everything and give back nothing. I am talking about the ones that only brighten up a room when they leave it.

     I had two guests like this for years. Their names were Fear and Hate and they seemed like permanent squatters in my soul. Every time I would try and toss them out, I would look around a few days later and find that they had snuck back in. They also invited their friends Worry, Doubt, Jealousy, Envy, Frustration, Depression, and Despair to stay as well. It made for a miserable home and a miserable life.

     Finally one day I could take it no longer. I cried out to God to help me get rid of these unwanted guests once and for all. It was then that I heard a gentle knock on the door of my soul. When I opened it I found Love there smiling at me. I invited Love in and watched as my unwanted house guests fled out the door and through the windows. They couldn’t leave quick enough. Then Love asked his friends Peace and Joy over to help straighten up the place. I soon realized too that Love was a guest I never wanted to leave. Every now and then Fear and Hate will try to sneak back in, but when they see Love sitting on the couch they run.

     God loves us so much and He wants us to love as well. He wants us to choose love, share love, and fill our lives with love. He wants us to love each other as He loves us. He wants us to make Love our permanent house guest and best friend. Open your door then. Invite Love in. Let Fear and Hate hit the highway. Make your home a happy one now and forever.

For friendship and humanity

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed that they were the best. The most
important. The most useful. The most beautiful. The favorite.

Green said:
"Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves.
Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."

Blue interrupted:
"You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."

Yellow chuckled:

"You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun."

Orange started next to blow her trumpet:
"I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you."

Red could stand it no longer he shouted out:
"I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life's blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy."

Purple rose up to his full height:

He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey."

Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination:
"Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I
represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace."

And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarrelling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening, thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.

In the midst of the clamour, rain began to speak:
"You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me."

Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.

The rain continued:
"From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow." And so, whenever a good rain washes the world and a Rainbow appears in the sky, to let us remember to appreciate one another.

It's going to be one of those days

Broke my car windscreen today. Cost RM480, but worth it that my boy Ewan is alright. Luckily he didn't fly out the window.
It's just one of those days. Ain't nothing gonna get me down, EVER!

Perks Pearl of Wisdom: "This is your day.  The one you've been waiting for all of your life.  You are alive and so are your dreams." "It's going to be one of those days" By Bob Perks Don't throw this day away. Don't give up on it before it even begins. You declare, "It's going to be one of those days!" and it is. Why?  Because you will choose to see only those things that help you to prove your point. You woke up this morning and stubbed your toe on the bed frame. "It's going to be one of those days!" You spill your coffee while shoving cereal down your throat, in a rush to get out the door because you're running late. "It's going to be one of those days!" The traffic is backed up and you have a meeting at 8:00 a.m. It's 7:59 a.m. "It's going to be one of those days!" So, here's my take on all of this. First, you woke up.  Do you realize how many people died yesterday?  It is estimated that 151,600 people die each day.  You weren't one of them. This means you are alive.  You have another chance to change things, to make things better. You stubbed your toe on your bed frame.  It hurt.  Do you know how many people are estimated to be homeless just in America? According to the HUD estimates, there were 99,894 homeless people when a survey was conducted in January 2012, and 62,619 homeless veterans. You woke up and you were in your own bed.  You have a roof over your head.  You spilled your coffee in your rush to get to work. Hunger in America exists for over 50 million people. That is 1 in 6 of the U.S. population - including more than 1 in 5 children. You have a job and a car and a bowl of cereal.  Enough said. Now, to sum it all up... You're alive. You have a place to live.  Food to eat. You have a job and a car. Don't make me get into your personal life.  You know, like family and friends who love you.  God who believes in you! Wake up tomorrow and the moment you swing your legs and stand up, say, "It's going to be one of those days! Thanks, God!" Then make it so. There's an old saying from Heraclitus, a Greek Philosopher (535 BC - 475 BC)  which says: "You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you." He believed that the universe was forever changing.  If you literally step into a river once and then again, the river would be different. So it is with your days.  You cannot step into the same day twice.  Everything changes.  You change.  You can say, "It's going to be one of those days," but you have a choice of how you choose to see it.  If you count all the little things like stubbing your toe, spilling coffee, or traffic as proof of how bad it is, then you must also count all the little things that make it good. I believe that if you made a list of good and bad, you would always come out with more good. Don't forget to count the fact that you own a piece of paper and a pencil. Yes, there are people in this world that don't even have that. "It's going to be one of those days!  Thanks, God!" "I believe in you!" Bob

What Success is

Success

Joseph J. Mazzella

     In the eyes of the world I am not seen as much of a success. I have a tiny house not a mansion. I don’t wear fancy clothes. I don’t own an expensive car, or a plane, or a yacht. My bank account is always empty at the end of the month. I am not a CEO of a corporation. I haven’t made a movie, won a Grammy, or sold a million books. I am not famous. My picture has never been on a magazine cover. I have never had my own reality television show. Yet, in spite of all of this there are many times when I do feel like a success.

     When my grown up son gives me a hug and says: "I love you Dad", I feel like a success. When my big dog walks over to me, puts his head on my lap, and looks up at me with his adoring brown eyes, I feel like a success. When I share a laugh with the cashier in the grocery store, I feel like a success. When I give my smile to a stranger I am walking by and find my gift returned, I feel like a success. When I send what few dollars I can to a charity and know that I am helping someone in need, I feel like a success. When I get a letter from someone who has been touched by the simple stories I write, I feel like a success. When I remember that God loves me in spite of all my faults and failings, I feel like a success.

     Perhaps what this world needs is a redefining of what success really is. Perhaps this world needs to recognize that fame fades, money is soon spent, power never lasts, and material things always turn to dust. Perhaps this world needs to see that the most successful life of all is one where you love God, yourself, and others. Perhaps we all need to realize that a successful life in the eyes of the world isn’t always a successful life in the eyes of Heaven.

    May you always see the success in your own life. May you always be a success in loving, giving, caring, and sharing. And may you always succeed in making God smile.