Motivation Inspiration Quotations "Apple Seeds" February, 2003

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Volume 18, # 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February, 2003

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

February 2003

On Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward

"Love is more than a noun—it is a verb; it is more than a feeling—it is caring, sharing, helping, sacrificing."

Love’s Ebb & Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anne Morrow Lindbergh

    "When you love someone you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity—in freedom."

Prevent a Quarrel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anonymous

    "Two things, well considered, would prevent many a quarrel: First, to make sure we are not disputing about terms rather than facts. Second, to examine if the difference of opinion is worth contending about."

Your Life, Your Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christophers News Notes, # 449

    "You have been chosen by God to perform some work that no other person can do.
    Fr. James Keller, MM, founder of The Christophers, wrote, ‘If you wish to leave the world better than you found it, you must be convinced that you have been put here for a purpose, delegated by God to play a part in renewing the face of the earth.’

    A Christopher or Christ-bearer feeds one hungry neighbor instead of lamenting world hunger…casts one intelligent vote instead of cursing corruption in government…keeps his or her sidewalk clean rather than grumbling about litter…prays and works for peace instead of decrying the evils of war…is a quiet doer rather than a noisy complainer."

Paradox of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Canfield & Mark V. Hanson, The Aladdin Factor, p. 67

    "The key…is not to think about whether or not something is possible, but simply whether or not you want it.…The paradox of life is that we are often not shown how we can get something until we first commit to having it."

For the Rest of my Life… . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Og Mandino, The Return of the Ragpicker, p. 136

    "For the rest of my life, this very special day, God help me…to heed wise advise…and treat everyone I meet, friend or foe, stranger or family, as I would want them to treat me.

…to maintain a rein on my tongue and my temper, guarding against foolish moments of fault-finding and insults.

…to greet all those I encounter with a smile instead of a frown, and a soft word of encouragement instead of disdain or even worse, silence.

…to be sympathetic and attentive to the sorrows and struggles of others, realizing that there are hidden woes in every life no matter how exalted or lowly.

…to make haste to be kind to all others, understanding that life is too short to be vengeful or malicious, too soon ended to be petty or unkind."

Telling Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Donald T. Phillips, Lincoln on Leadership, p. 155

    "Though Abraham Lincoln was an outstanding writer and public speaker, he was even more adept at the art of conversation, He could talk to anyone…He had a terrific sense of humor and often sprinkled his conversations with witty stories and humorous anecdotes that he used as persuasive tools.
    Lincoln to a friend explained: ‘They say I tell a great many stories. I reckon I do; but I have learned from long experience that plain people…are more easily influenced through the medium of a broad and humorous illustration than in any other way.’"

On Happiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abe Lincoln

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their mind to be."

Good Listeners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bits & Pieces, Sept. ‘86

"Good listeners are not only popular everywhere, but after a while they know something."

Make Your Heart Bigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ZaChoeje Rinpoche

    "The Tibetan understanding of forgiveness is ‘to make your heart bigger,’ or… ‘to make space for.’ This does not mean to condone or to justify someone’s actions or to try to ‘just forget about it.’ If you try to forget, this can lead to unhealthy ways to escape the negative emotions surrounding the event.
    These emotions will not easily leave you or allow you to move on because you became somehow attached to them. Better to learn about your part in it and what it had to teach you deeply and personally. Then make a conscious effort every day to make your heart bigger and move on."

The Poor Critic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Earl Nightingale

    "The person who criticizes others all the time is, in reality, unhappy with oneself. He or she concentrates on what’s wrong with everything instead of what’s right with it.…This person concentrates on the specks of dust that may be found on any masterpiece and, as a result, goes through life missing the beauty and the wonders of life."

School of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elizabeth-Anne Stewart, Living Faith, July 14, 2002

    "Who among us has not had the proverbial wake-up call—the shattering experience that jarred us out of taking life for granted, forcing us to reevaluate our priorities? There we are, happily pursuing our own interest, when suddenly we have to face transience and unpredictability. In a moment, we see differently and hear differently than we did before. Like it or not, we can no longer continue making the same kinds of choices; instead, all that we think, all that we do, is governed by our new perspective.
    Such experiences are harrowing but necessary. The movement from merely looking to seeing, from merely hearing to listening, involves transformation. A radical dying must happen, for our outlook can change only when we are ready to break with the old so as to embrace new ways of thinking and feeling. Often, it takes a trauma of some kind to open our eyes and our ears. If we allow the school of life to discipline us, whatever pain we endure can bless us with new awareness."

An Epitaph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erma Bombeck

    "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’"

The Meaning of Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Levi Yitzhak

    There was a rabbi who said that he had discovered the meaning of love from a drunken peasant. The rabbi was visiting the owner of a tavern in the countryside. As he walked in, he saw two peasants at a table; both were gloriously inebriated. Arms around each other, they were protesting how much each loved the other. Suddenly Ivan said to Peter, "Peter, tell me, what hurts me?"

    Bleary-eyed, Peter looked at Ivan, "How do I know what hurts you?"

    Ivan’s answer was sharp and swift, "If you don’t know what hurts me, how can you say you love me?"

The Would-Be Ascetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rabindranath Tagore

    At midnight the would-be ascetic awoke and announced to the heavens:

    "This is the time to give up my home and seek for God. Ah, who has held me so long in delusion here?"

    God whispered, "I," but the ears of the man were stopped.

    With a baby asleep at her breast lay his wife, peacefully sleeping on one side of the bed. The man said, "Who are you that have fooled me so long?"

    God said again, "They are of God," but he heard it not.

    The baby cried out in its dream, nestling close to its mother. God commanded, "Stop, fool, leave not your home!" but still he heard it not.

    God sighed and spoke, "Why does my servant wander to seek me, forsaking me?"

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