Words of Inspiration

"When we choose not to focus on what's missing from our lives
but are grateful for the abundance that's present...
we experience heaven on earth."

~ Sarah Breathnach

I beg you…to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart
and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books
written in a very foreign language...don’t search for the answers,
which could not be given to you now, because  you would not be able to live them. 
And the point is, to live everything.  Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future,
you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer…
~ rainer maria rilke

 The miracle isn't that I finished...the miracle is that I had the courage to start.
 

~ John J. Bingham

 How cooling hope can be. It offers peace when you are suffering. As you know,
hope is not the easiest thing to find; especially, when your situation is squeezing your mind and body,
pressing your attention into your pain. Nonetheless, when we are in pain and feeling hopeless
something primal, magical and spiritual arises from within. It is that spark of hope.
We don't have to conjure or force hope, or try to adhere it to our situation.
All we have to do is be open to hope and it gently comes forward
on its own. Hope is that spark of possibilities that reflects our eternal nature.
Hope comforts and assures us that no matter what happens, we'll be okay. 
~ Laura Alden Kamm

Who Am I?
I am greatness, that at timesappears as failure…
I am remarkable strength, that is sometimes masked by traces of weakness…
I am powerful beyond measure, even though I often see with eyes too focused on limitation.
I am the possibility of awareness and enlightenment, as I choose to love and to forgive –
myself, and others.I aspire to be the peace I seek,and to live in a place of gratitude.
I am the energy of my thoughts, actions, and deeds…created in alignment with the Spirit
of magnificence and perfection. I am the hope that believes all things are possible...and so I am.
~ Andrea Chervenak

After you've created your intentions, bless them, let them go, and live in
the moment in a space of trust, love, peace and goodness - your spiritual DNA.
Be in the energy of seeing miracles everywhere and from this space imagine all of your hearts desires." 
~ Laurie A. Martin

True nobility is not about being better than someone else, it’s about being better
than you used to be... take small steps, but have large goals…
remember that what matters is not always the result,  but the intention…
love all of you – even the imperfect parts as they are what makes you
the magnificent work-in-progress that you are.  
~ Dr. Wayne Dyer

I am the gardener of my mind.  I keep all the weeds out.
~ Louise Hay

When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more.
Your desire can never be satisfied.
But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself,
'Oh yes -- I already have everything that I really need.' 
~ The Dalai Lama 

The greater danger for most of you lies not in setting your aim too high and falling short;
but in setting your aim too low, and achieving your mark.
~Michelangelo



Why always "Not yet"? Do flowers in spring say, "Not yet"?
~Norman Douglas



As a man thinketh, so he becomes.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson



From A Course In Miracles: "The world you see is what you gave it,
nothing more than that. But though it is no more than that, it is not less.
Therefore, to you it is important. It is the witness to your state of mind,
the outside picture of an inward condition.
As a man thinketh, so does he perceive."



Every worthwhile accomplishment has its stages of drudgery and triumph;
a beginning, a struggle, and a victory.
~Ghandi



Sometimes a glance, a few casual words, fragments of a melody floating through the quiet air
of a summer evening, a book that accidentally comes into hands, a poem or memory-laden fragrance
may bring about the impulse which changes and determines our whole life.
~Lama Govinda



Failure is that early morning hour of darkness which precedes the dawning of the day of success.
~ Leigh Mitchell Hodges



Embrace change and recognize that life is in constant motion.
When the boundaries are seen as opportunities,
the world becomes a limitless place.
~Unknown



The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.
~ Mark Twain



The most amazing view the bird sees is when it leaves the nest and tries its wings for the first time.
~Unknown



Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
~ Melodie Beattie



There's no place like hope.
~ Max De Pree



When we walk to the edge of all the light we have, and must step into the darkness
of the unknown, we must believe that one of two things will happen.
Either there will be something solid for us to stand on or we will be taught how to fly.
~ Patrick Overton



We can not become what we need to be by
remaining what we are.
~ Max De Pree



What the heart gives away is never gone.
It is kept in the heart of others.
~ Robin St. John



It is in forgetting ourselves that we are found.
~ St. Francis of Assisi



Believe that there's light at the end of the tunnel.
Believe that you might be that light for someone else.
~ Kobi Yamada



Care more than others think wise.
Risk more than others think safe.
Dream more than others think practical.
Expect more than others think possible
~ Unknown



In life's darkest moments, a tiny spark can light the way.
~ "Shades of Grace"



Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them,
but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.
~ Louisa May Alcott



Your spark can become a flame and change everything.
~ E.D. Nixon



Faith helps you succeed when everything else fails.
~ Dawn Ewing



Most people see what is, and never see what can be.
~ Albert Einstein



"Amazing Grace"

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.
~John Newton, 1773



"Attitude"

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today?"
So she did, and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
"H-M-M," she said, I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?"
So she did, and she had a grand day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she
had only one hair on her head.
"Well," she said, today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that
there wasn't a single hair on her head.
"YEA!" she exclaimed, I don't have to fix my hair today!"

Attitude is everything.
Be kinder than necessary,
for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly...
Leave the rest to God.
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
~ Unknown



Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.There's nothing enlightened
about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
~ Marianne Williamson



As you look back on your life, know that you've failed at nothing - all you've done is produce certain results.
You can view it all as what you needed to experience in order to get to a higher place.
~ Wayne Dyer



Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see
the whole staircase.
~Martin Luther King Jr.



Have faith that whatever you need to experience is on its way, and that
God won't send you anything you're incapable of handling.
You can decide that the word fear is an acronym for:
False Evidence Appearing Real!
~ Wayne Dyer



What I know for sure…
Things are not always as they seem,
and not everything has a logical explanation.
We control more than we think we do –
and also control less than we think we do.
You can be on top of the world one moment,
And hit rock bottom the next.
Sometimes bad things happen for good reasons.
Facing fear reduces its power, and
looking inward can change the course of your life.
Be still…be open…find the goodness…
move forward…one step at a time.
~ Andrea Chervenak



HOPE is not pretending that troubles don't exist...
it is the trust that they will not last forever,
that hurts will be healed, and difficulties overcome...
it is faith that a source of strength and renewal lies within
to lead us through the dark to the sunshine.
~ Unknown



Each day is a promise
of new joys to gain
if we look for the rainbow
instead of the rain.
There's never a winter that will not end,
never a tree too strong to bend,
never a sky too dull and gray
To change - given time - to a brighter day!
~ Unknown



If we knew what tomorrow held,
we wouldn't need our dreams,
our hopes, our plans.
But tomorrow is an unaswered question,
a new challenge to face,
a new adventure to explore.
Every day a new dawn,
every dawn a new day,
to dream, to hope, to believe.
~ Unknown



If you want to succeed in your life, remember this phrase:
The past does not equal the future.
Because you failed yesterday, or all day today, or a moment ago,
or for the last six months, the last sixteen years, or the last
fifty years of life, doesn’t mean anything…
All that matters is: What are you going to do, right now?
--Anthony Robbins



If you planted hope today in any hopeless heart,
if someone’s burden was lighter because you did your part,
if you caused a laugh that chased a tear away,
if tonight your name is mentioned when someone kneels to pray,
then your day was well spent.
~ Unknown



We always attract into our lives whatever we think
about most, believe most strongly, expect on the
deepest level, and imagine most vividly.
--Shakti Gawain



Instead of asking God for stuff,
start thanking God for stuff,
and you will find that God has
already given you everything you
could want or need.
~ Unknown



WORRYING does not empty
TOMORROW of its troubles
It Empties TODAY of its
STRENGTH!!
~ Unknown



“Just because we’re people of faith doesn’t mean we’re exempt from the things that are in the world.
We do believe in God’s protection, his provision and we feel like we’ve experienced that. W
e know who holds tomorrow, and our trust and confidence is in Him. We don’t walk by sight, but by faith.”
--Larry Lynn, pastor of a church that was just destroyed by a tornado



FAITH: “I believe in the sun even when it is not shining…in love even when I am alone…and in God even when He is silent.”
~ Inscription found on a wall in Germany by someone hiding from Nazi concentration camps.



The Cure For Envy: “I have a wildly successful acquaintance next to whose perfectly pillowed existence mine seems a lumpy mattress.
I’ve seen him on magazine covers, a self-satisfied, cock-of-the-walk, airbrushed grin on his face.
Even worse, he’s in my field, though he does so much better (sell-out!). I’ve been training myself, as an antidote to a fulminating case of
green-eye, that whenever I feel that little twitch of envy, I wish for more bluebirds of happiness to come sit on his eaves.
‘Don’t you mean,’ asks a cynical friend, ‘come shit on his sleeves?’
But the fact is, my good wishes provide an unexpected sense of relief. It’s an unknotting, expansive feeling, as if what’s his and
what’s mine suddenly, metaphysically, belong to both of us and to neither.
I recently came across a line from Yoko Ono: ‘Transform jealousy to admiration/And what you admire/Will become part of your life.’”
~ Marc Ian Barasch, author of “Field Notes on the Compassionate Life”



This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who
violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
For some new delight.
--Rumi



The way of the universe is to fill that which is empty and to empty that which is full.
When we’re full, nothing else can enter, but when we are empty all things can come to us.
--from The Zen Book by Daniel Levin



Breathe. Breathe again. Breathe in acceptance,
breathe out criticism.
Breathe. Breathe again. Breathe in love, breathe out hatred.
Breathe. Breathe again. Breathe in whatever you want,
and breathe out whatever no longer serves you.
--from The Zen Book by Daniel Levin



Face fear straight on.
For years I ran and hid from it, shivering in the corner and hoping that I’d never have to face it.
One day I grew tired of being scared, so I opened the door that hid me from my fear only to find that it was no longer there.
I was the one who had kept myself bound for all that time.
--from The Zen Book by Daniel Levin

It is from our lowest point that we are able to propel to new and greater heights…
view your struggles and challenges as experiences that are enabling you to grow and evolve.

I believe
in mind
over matter.
I believe
in the
human spirit
to prevail.
I believe
in miracles
and blessings,
both great
and small.
I believe
in possibilities.
I believe
that hurdles
in life
are meant
to be
jumped over,
not as
something to
stop us.
~Unknown



Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Laugh. Practice wellness.
Play with abandon. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Choose with no regret.
Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.
--Maryann Radmacher



All we are asked to bear we can bear.
That is a law of the spiritual life.
The only hindrance to the working of this law,
as of all benign laws, is fear.
--Elizabeth Goudge



Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you!
--Christian D. Larson



Hope is
the thing
with feathers
that perches
in the soul
and sings the
tune without
words
and never stops
---at all.
--Emily Dickinson



"To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy... is to set our own conditions to the events of each day.
To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson



As you go into the world... always believe in your dreams. Keep looking forward to the future…to all you might be. Don't let old mistakes or misfortunes hold you down: Learn from them, forgive yourself...or others…and move on. Do not be bothered or discouraged by adversity. Instead, meet it as a challenge. Be empowered by the courage it takes you to overcome obstacles. Learn things. Learn something new everyday. Be interested in others and what they might teach you. But do not look for yourself in the faces of others. Do not look for who you are in other people's approval. As far as who you are and who you will become goes...the answer is always within yourself. Believe in yourself. Follow your heart and your dreams. You... like everyone…will make mistakes. But so long as you are true to the strength within your own heart... you can never go wrong. Peace…always believe in your dreams.



"When one door of happiness closes, another opens;
but often we look so long at the closed door that
we do not see which one has been opened for us."
--Helen Keller



You have to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you've got and remember what you had;
always forgive but never forget, learn from your mistakes but never regret; people change, things go wrong,
but just remember, life goes on.



Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So love the people who treat you right,
forget about the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason.
If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, than let it. Nobody said it'd be easy,
they just promised it'd be worth it.



Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can't change.
Kiss slowly, play hard, forgive quickly, take chances, give everything, and have no regrets.
Life's too short to be anything but happy.



Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds at the heel
that has crushed it.
~ Mark Twain



Fall seven times; stand up eight.
~ Japanese Proverb



5 Rules of Happiness:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply
4. Give more
5. Expect less