®   Volume 22, # 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 2007

©

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

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Significant Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Carmody, The Progressive Pilgrim

    "Below the levels of information significant education traffics in self-knowledge and ontology (the structures of being). It honors the command—‘know thyself’—, adding that to know oneself is also to know one’s fellow human beings. Thus, the best regimen for significant education is one that provides for regular reflection.

    If we are simply experiencing, always on the ingest, we never touch the deeper meanings of being an experiencer and being a judger of the experienced’s relations with the rest of the world. In time, we become the walking reference books observable on any college campus."

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Excellence of Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aristotle

    "To enjoy the things we ought and to hate the things we ought has the greatest bearing on excellence of character."

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Inundated with Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mortimer J. Adler, How to Read a Book, p. 4

"Perhaps we know more about the world than we used to, and insofar as knowledge is prerequisite to understanding, that is all to the good. But knowledge is not as much a prerequisite to understanding as is commonly supposed. We do not have to know everything about something in order to understand it; too many facts are often as much of an obstacle to understanding as too few. There is a sense in which we moderns are inundated with facts to the detriment of understanding."

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On Frustration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anonymous

    "Frustration is commonly the difference between what you would like to be and what you are willing to sacrifice to become what you would like to be."

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Stories of Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kouzes & Posner, Encouraging the Heart, p. 105

    "Howard Gardner, Harvard professor of education who has done extensive research on the development of human intelligence, argues that ‘the artful creation and articulation of stories constitutes a fundamental part of the leader’s vocation. Stories speak to both parts of the human mind—its reason and emotion. And I suggest, further, that it is stories of identity—narratives that help individuals think about and feel who they are, where they come from, and where they are headed—that constitute the single most powerful weapon in the leader’s literary arsenal.’"

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Think – Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown

"Think all you speak, but speak not all you know."

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Definiteness of Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich, p. 108

    "Definiteness of purpose is the starting point from which one must begin. [Recognize] too that definiteness of purpose takes on animation, life, and power when backed by a burning desire to translate that purpose into its material equivalent."

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On Influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Rohn

    "There are two parts to influence: first, influence is powerful; second, influence is subtle. You wouldn’t let someone push you off course, but you might let someone nudge you off course and not even realize it."

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Beyond the Ordinary . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ernest Kurtz, The Spirituality of Imperfection, p. 39

    "Beyond the ordinary…spirituality is that which allows us to get beyond the narrow confines of self. But another paradox lurks here, for our human task, as countless sages have suggested, is to get beyond our selves without trying to escape ourselves. To get beyond the self to a place of interior peace, where we are not obsessed with thoughts of material possessions, to get beyond the immediate concerns that dissipate us, we must first learn to put up with—to accept—our selfish, impatient, often recalcitrant human nature."

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God Grant Me… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Helen Steiner Rice

"God grant me…       Courage and Hope for every day,       Faith to guide me along the way,       Understanding and Wisdom too,       And Grace to accept what life gives me to do."

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Sink Our Roots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown

"Like a tree we each must find a place to sink our roots and branch out."

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Experience of Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Lay, S.J.
                                                  "Maturing In Wisdom & Grace," Human Development, Spring `84

    "As we contemplate our situation as evolving creatures, Genesis gives us the first assurance that God is present in these times of endings and new beginnings. The void and the darkness of the yet-to-be-formed being are not impervious to God’s power. It is from the void and the darkness that order and light emerge. Our experience of change invites us to discover anew at ever deeper levels the workings of this power within us that brings forth order out of chaos."

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What is Your Quest? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles Swindoll, The Quest for Character, p. 12

    "What is your quest? Do you have a ‘lifelong dream’? Anything ‘dominating your life’ enough to hold your attention for thirteen or more years? Some ‘adventurous journey’ you’d love to participate in…some discovery you long to make…some enterprise you secretly imagine? Without a quest, life is quickly reduced to bleak black and wimpy white, a diet too bland to get anybody out of bed in the morning. A quest fuels our fire. It refuses to let us drift downstream gathering debris. It keeps our mind in gear, makes us press on. All of us are surrounded by, and benefit from, the results of someone else’s quest."

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Green Bough & Singing Birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward

    A Chinese proverb expresses this truth: "If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come."

    Here are five "green boughs" we should strive to keep in our hearts:

    The green bough of Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is not only contagious, it is attractive. The singing bird of success is drawn toward the green bough of enthusiasm. Where there is enthusiasm, there is excitement, and where there is positive excitement, there is more joy in the job, more sparkle in the eye, and more zest in living.

    The green bough of Kindness. Kindness is the Golden Rule in action. Surely what the world needs now is more kindness. The green boughs of kindness grow from the tree of love, and when we truly love others, kindness is natural and instinctive. We should remember the little girl’s prayer: "God, help the bad people be good…and please help the good people to be nice."

    The green bough of Generosity. Our lives sing with joy when we generously share ourselves, our talents and resources in loving service to others. Generosity is the secret of happiness; it is the golden key that unlocks the gates of joy, fulfillment and life more abundant.

    The green bough of Humor. It has been said that if we learn to laugh at ourselves we will always be amused. The green bough of humor helps us to laugh at ourselves even when we make a faux pas, when we goof up, when we trip over our tongues…

    The green bough of Gratitude. Green boughs of gratitude provide the perfect home for the bluebirds of happiness. With gratitude in our hearts, there can be no room for self-pity, resentment or bitterness. Gratitude attracts more blessings—especially when we humbly and joyfully express our thanksgiving to our God and to those who have encouraged and inspired us.

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Rich or Poor? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown

    This past year, if someone had paid you ten dollars for every kind word you ever spoke about other people, and also collected five dollars from you for every unkind word you ever spoke, would you be rich or poor?

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