®   Volume 23, # 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January, 2008

©

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

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On Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Yeats

"Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire."

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This New Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eleanor Roosevelt, "My Day" column, Jan. 1, 1937

    "I wish for those I love this New Year an opportunity to earn sufficient, to have that which they need for their own and to give that which they desire to others, to bring in to the lives of those about them some measure of joy, to know the satisfaction of work well done, of recreation earned and therefore savored, to end the year a little wiser, a little kinder and therefore a little happier."

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To Live at This Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grenville Kleiser, Positive Press

    "To live at this time is an inestimable privilege, and a sacred obligation devolves upon you to make right use of your opportunities."

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Being Honored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calvin Coolidge

    "No person was ever honored for what he or she received. Honor is the reward for what he or she gave."

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Spark of Greatness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James A. Ray, YourSuccessStore.com

    "Buried deep within each of us is a spark of greatness, a spark that can be fanned into flames of passion and achievement. That spark is not outside of you it is born deep within you."

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A Positive Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Martin Luther King, Jr.

"If you want to move people, it has to be toward a vision that’s positive for them, that taps important values, that gets them something they desire, and it has to be presented in a compelling way that they feel inspired to follow."

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Your Highest Priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephen Covey

    "You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically—to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside. The enemy of the ‘best’ is often the ‘good.’"

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Rapt in Awe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Albert Einstein

    "He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."

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Always More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown

    "What we think is less than what we know, what we know is more than we achieve, and what we achieve is so much less than what there really is, and to this precise extent, we are less than what we are. There is always more that a person can achieve. Each of us can have anything in life if we are willing to prepare ourselves."

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True Glory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pliny the Elder

    "True glory consists in doing what deserves to be written; in writing what deserves to be read; and in so living as to make the world happier and better for our living in it."

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Vision of a Champion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anson Dorrance, Women’s Soccer Coach, UNC

    "The vision of a champion is someone who is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion when no one else is watching."

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Great Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich, p. 119

"Most great leaders began in the capacity of followers. They became great leaders because they were intelligent followers. With few exceptions, the man who cannot follow a leader intelligently, cannot become an efficient leader. The man who can follow a leader most efficiently is usually the man who develops into leadership most rapidly. An intelligent follower has many advantages, among them the opportunity to acquire knowledge from one’s leader."

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Churches Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr. Michael Phillips, Priorities, Sept-Oct 2000

    "[O]ur churches today have a lot of believers, but too few disciples. Believers are people who secure a place in the kingdom, but disciples are the ones who take the kingdom and bring it to earth every day and establish God’s kingdom here."

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On Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. Jackson Brown, Jr., Motivational-Messages.com

"When you have nothing important or interesting to say, don’t let anyone persuade you to say it."

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On Feelings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, TOR

    "Feelings are fickle; they are fragile; they are foolish; they are fraught with frivolity. Follow your feelings and frequently you will fall flat on your face. So much for your feelings. It is your choices and decisions that matter."

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God’s House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward

"Enter God’s house reverently, pray trustingly, sing joyfully, listen silently, worship expectantly."

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Benefit of Struggle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ernest Kurtz, The Spirituality of Imperfection, p. 52

    "The main benefit of struggle and failure is that it helps protect against the ultimate bane of all spirituality, conceit—the self-centeredness that claims absolute self-sufficiency, the pride that denies all need."

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Life’s Instructions–II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. Jackson Brown, Life’s Little Instruction Book–II

    "#552: Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something."

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Food & Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Rohn

    "Words do two major things: they provide food for the mind, and create light for understanding and awareness."

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21 Words To Change Your Life . . . . . .  . . . . . . . Anonymous, Sower’s Seeds That Nurture Family Values, # 92

    In the spring of 1871, a young man picked up a book and read twenty-one words that had a profound effect on his future. A medical student, he was worried about passing a final examination, worried about what to do, where to go, how to build up a practice, how to make a living.

    The twenty-one words that this young med student read helped him to become the most famous physician of his generation. He even was knighted by the King of England. When he died, two huge volumes containing 1,466 pages were required to tell the story of his life.

    His name was Sir William Osler. Here are the twenty-one words that he read—twenty-one words from Thomas Carlyle that helped him lead a life free from worry: Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand.

    The load of tomorrow, added to that of yesterday, carried today, makes the strongest falter. Shut off the future as tightly as the past. The future is today; there is no tomorrow.…Waste of energy, mental distress, nervous worries, all dog the steps of a person who is anxious about the future. The best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence, all your enthusiasm, on doing today’s work superbly today. That is the only possible way you can prepare for the future.

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Conquer By Kindness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abraham Lincoln

    President Lincoln once wrote a letter to General William Rosecrans, commander of the Army of the Southwest about the proposed execution of a Confederate officer:

    "I have examined personally all the papers in the Lyons case, and I cannot see that it is a matter for executive interference. So I turn it over to you with full confidence that you will do what is just and right; only begging you, my dear General, to do nothing in reprisal for the past—only what is necessary to ensure security for the future. I remind you that we are not fighting against a foreign foe, but our brothers, and that our aim is not to break their spirits but only to bring back their old allegiance. Conquer them with kindness—let that be our policy."

    Very truly yours,
    A. Lincoln

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