Volume 36, #9
May 2021


Plant these "seeds" well and water often. Enjoy!

 May 2021
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Graduation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Speaker’s Lifetime Library

     "Today is generally thought of as a vacation from learning, a day of freedom from books and memorizing and homework. If that is what you think is the sum total of learning...then you still have a lot to learn. As a matter of fact, human beings, if they are lucky, keep on learning until the day they die. They learn from what they read and what they see and what they hear and what they do. The hope is that your schooling and your teachers have been able to help you to know how to keep on learning for yourself."


Not Forgotten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Benjamin Franklin

     "If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are gone, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing."


Common Occasions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Orison Swett Marden

     "Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them."


On Success . . . . . . . . W. Clement Stone, A Magnificent Obsession, p.33

     "So these are the two necessary ingredients for success. Plus — and most important — one must follow through with Action. Just desire and willingness are not good enough; action is what counts. And that means one has to learn how to motivate oneself. A good way to motivate oneself to get into action is to memorize the self-motivator ‘Do It Now!’…for achievement of some worthy goal.…"


Non-Conformists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Josiah W. Scott, 1957

     "Humanity’s most valuable assets have been the non-conformists. Were it not for the non-conformists, one who refuses to be satisfied to go along with the continuance of things as they are, and insists upon attempting to find new ways of bettering things, the world would have known little progress indeed."


Enemies to Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Petrarch, 1366

     "Five great enemies to peace inhabit within us: avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride. If those enemies were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace."


Ulysses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tennyson, 1842

"Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

Descending dove - "The Lord blesses his people with peace" Ps. 29:11.


Educating Integrated Persons . . . . . . Wilkie Au, SJ, Human Development, Vol. 8, #1, p. 42

     "Human wholeness requires a process of development that integrates the rational and emotive, the cognitive and the affective, in living and learning. Any education purporting to develop the whole person must therefore simultaneously promote, in a balanced way, both rational training and emotional development. In a word, education for wholeness must be education for formation, not just information."


Practice Courtesy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Insight, Vol. 3, #10, p. 1

"Practice courtesy. For all we know, it might become fashionable again."


Do It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Earl Nightingale

      "It is only when we actually begin, that we find we have the power and the talent to carry it off. As long as we sit and think about it, wish for it and stay where we are, nothing happens."


Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles "T" Jones

     "Commitment is more important to success than talent, desire, or personality, because those with a commitment won’t quit when things become difficult.

     But, the number one attribute for success is learning to be thankful."


Merton on Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Luke Tobin

hand planting "Seeds of Hope"

     "The Christian view is: in the reality which I have and am now, there is a possibility for growth which God has put there. There’s a seed God has planted and is going to make grow; what I have to provide is the love and the assent that’s going to permit it to grow."

Imagination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Faith Today, 5/85

     "Imagination allows people to break out of unhealthy patterns, to see that there are many possibilities, to regain a sense of hope. But people are not always open to their imaginative powers. People can stifle the imagination by not making room for humor in their lives and by denying themselves the freedom to try new things."


Your Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Socrates

     "Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth and take so little care of your children, to whom one day you must relinquish it all?"


Choose Boldly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Joseph Slim

      "When you cannot make up your mind which of two evenly balanced courses of action you should take — choose the bolder."


Adam and Eve and Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jon Gordon, The Garden, Wiley, 2020, pp. 19-21

     "You see the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden is not just a story about them. It’s a story about us. God made us in His image and yet we often believe the lie that we are less than and not good enough. We believe that we aren’t worthy. We forget that we are children of God.

     "Let me ask you a question. Do you want to be great?

     "I’m convinced God put this desire in your soul. If you are made in His likeness and image then this means there is greatness within you. God is great and he planted seeds of greatness in you. God is good so there is goodness in you. God is love so there is love within you.

       "Deep down you know this to be true and yet too often you believe the lie that you aren’t great. You believe you aren’t loved and you are less than. To answer why Adam and Eve forgot who they were we have to ask ourselves, why do we forget who we are? Why do we have a desire for greatness and a knowing at times that we are here to do great things and then at other times we have such feelings of insecurity and unworthiness."

     …"But before you go, I have a question for you to ponder and it is this: Do your negative thoughts come from you?"


Even Eagles Need a Push . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . David McNally

Soaring eagles     The eagle gently coaxed her off-spring toward the edge of her nest. Her heart quivered with conflicting emotions as she felt their resistance to persistent nudging. "Why does the thrill of soaring have to begin with the fear of falling?" she thought. This ageless question was still unanswered for her.

     As in the tradition of eagles, her nest was located high on the shelf of a sheer rock face. Below there was nothing but air to support the wings of each young eagle, "It is possible that this time it will not work?" the mother eagle thought. Despite her fears, the eagle knew it was time. Her parental mission was almost complete. There remained one final task — the push.

     The mother eagle drew courage from an innate wisdom. Until her young discovered their wings, there was no purpose for their lives. Until they learned how to soar, they would fail to understand the privilege it was to have been born an eagle. The push was the greatest gift the mother eagle had to offer. It was her supreme act of love. And so one by one she pushed them…and they flew!

 

Well, this wraps up Apple Seeds'® 36th planting season.
Plant these "seeds" well and water often. Enjoy!

Next planting will be September 2021!