®   Volume 22, # 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January, 2007

©

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

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Today! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Rohn

    "Every day is the day that turns somebody’s life around forever. Is today that day for you?"

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On Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich, p. 83

    "Knowledge is only potential power. It becomes power only when and if it is organized into definite plans of action and directed to a definite end."

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Change the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Archbishop John P. Foley

Archbishop John P. Foley, head of the Pontifical Council of Social Communications, in the Foreword to the revised and updated Anniversary Edition of You Can Change the World, reflected on the positive influence of Fr. James Keller, M.M., founder of The Christophers,…"to light a candle, and not to curse the darkness, to affirm the good and to encourage the struggling, to change the world for the better, one action at a time, one step after another."     Archbishop Foley concluded: "Be not afraid—You can change the world."

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Start Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Henry James

"It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined."

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Problem of Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Albert Einstein

    "The real problem is in the heart and minds of men. It is not a problem of physics but of ethics. It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil from the spirit of man."

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Discover One’s Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Every person must have a concern for self, and feel a responsibility to discover one’s mission in life. God has given each normal person a capacity to achieve some end. True, some are endowed with more talent than others, but God has left none of us without talent. Potential powers of creativity are within us, and we have a duty to work assiduously to discover these powers."

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Expect Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Merry Borone

    "Expect people to be better than they are; it helps them to become better. But don’t be disappointed when they are not; it helps them to keep trying."

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Religion—Spirituality . . . . . . . . . . . Ernest Kurtz, The Spirituality of Imperfection, p. 23

    "Viewing religion, ‘the spiritual’ see rigidity; viewing spirituality, ‘the religious’ see sloppiness. Religion connotes boundaries, while spirituality’s borders seem haphazard and ill-defined. The vocabulary of religion emphasizes the solid; the language of spirituality suggests the fluid."

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Change Your Attitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward

"Change your pessimism into optimism;
Transform your doubts into determination;
Convert your fear into faith."

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Keep Alive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bits & Pieces

"Keep alive, keep challenging yourself until the day you quit. When growth stops, decay begins."

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Flash of Insight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Carmody, The Progressive Pilgrim

    "By the flash of insight we see what might be so. Therefore such insight, expressed in concepts, postulates verification.

    It is judgment…that checks and verifies. Not to enact the difference between ‘might’ and ‘is’ is to be injudicious—deluded, a dreamer. To be rational, reasonable, one must lay aside the passions that cloud judgment, the precipitousness and rush, to work back over the data coldly. To be jealous, greedy, vain—that will derail judgment's reflective search for evidential grounds, its calm reassessment of logic and argument."

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Pacem in Terris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pope John XXIII, April 11, 1963

"May He banish from the hearts of all men and women whatever might endanger peace. May He transform them into witnesses of truth, justice and love. May He enkindle the rulers of peoples so that in addition to their solicitude for the proper welfare of their citizens, they may guarantee and defend the great gift of peace. May He enkindle the wills of all so that they may overcome the barriers that divide, cherish the bonds of mutual charity, understand others, and pardon those who have done them wrong. May all peoples of the earth become as brothers and sisters, and may the most longed-for peace blossom forth and reign always among men and women."

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Someone Special . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dorothea Lynde Dix

"There is never something wrong with being someone special."

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On Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Myrle Swicegood, Think & Grow Rich, Vol. 2, # 9, p. 3

    "Recognition is a precious gift we give to others, a powerful tool to motivate them to higher achievement. Unfortunately it’s a gift most people give—and receive—too sparingly."

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Sense of Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emmett Miller, INSIGHT, # 88, p. 36

    "A fundamental aspect of human greatness, and, therefore, personal excellence, is having the courage to discover your own unique path, your own unique purpose—and perhaps your own unique sense of mission."

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Find Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Napoleon Hill

    "The overworked alibi of the procrastinator—‘I haven’t had time’—has probably caused more failures than all other alibis combined. People who get ahead and make a place for themselves always find time to move on their own initiative in any direction necessary."

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Judgment in All Its Seasons . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sower’s Seeds That Nurture Family Values, # 30

    According to an ancient fable, there was a Persian king who wanted to discourage his four sons from making rash judgments. At his command, the eldest son made a winter journey to see a mango tree across the valley. When spring came, the next oldest was sent on the same journey. Summer followed and the third son was sent. After the youngest made his visit to the mango tree in the autumn, the king called them together and asked each son to describe the tree.

    The first son said it looked like an old stump. The second disagreed, describing it as lovely—large and green. The third son declared its blossoms were as beautiful as roses. The fourth son said that they were all wrong. To him it was a tree filled with fruit—luscious, juicy fruit, like a pear.

    "Well, each of you is right," the old king said. Seeing the puzzled look in their eyes, the king went on to explain. "You see, each of you saw the mango tree in a different season, thus you all correctly described what you saw. The lesson," said the king, "is to withhold your judgment until you have seen the tree in all its seasons."

    The wisdom of this fable might be applied to the circumstances and situations in our lives as well, to withhold judgment until we have a better understanding of all the conditions.

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Time for New Beginnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Addison, Blue Mountain Arts, 1989

"This is a time for reflection as well as celebration.
As you look back on the past year and all that has taken place in your life,
Remember each experience for the good that has come of it and for the knowledge you have gained.
Remember the efforts you have made and the goals you have reached.
Remember the love you have shared and the happiness you have brought.
Remember the laughter, the joy, the hard work, and the tears.
And as you reflect on the past year, also be thinking of the new one to come.
Because most importantly, this is a time of new beginnings and the celebration of life."

 

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