Work of Christmas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Howard Thurman

"When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
     to feed the hungry,
     to release the prisoners,
     to rebuild the nations,
     to bring peace among brothers and sisters,
     to make music with the heart."

Knowledge Increases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H.P. Blavatsky

"Knowledge increases in proportion to its use —
that is, the more we teach the more we learn."

     "When getting extraordinary things done, leaders:

• Challenge the process.
• Inspire a shared vision.
• Enable others to act.
• Model the way.
• Encourage the heart."

     "Genuine humility acknowledges our role as creatures before the awesome love of our Creator. It compels us to gratitude before God’s amazing grace at work in our lives and to actions that draw upon these graces or gifts for the good of all. Our life and living is not an individualistic, self-centered enterprise. We exist to continue the reign of God in this day. Because God’s reign is one of peace, justice and love, all our actions must reflect this vision. We believe this, we profess this and it is our lifelong task to integrate this into daily living."

To Convince People  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Juvenalis

     "You should abstain from arguments. They are very illogical ways to convince people. Opinions are like nails: the stronger you hit them, the deeper inside they go."

A Caring Touch  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward

"Our gift of just a caring touch
Can brighten someone’s day;
Our warm, kind words can mean so much
To others on their way."

     "Without forgiveness, there is resentment — or guilt. Instead of human fellowship, there are separate prisons. We have a choice: We can stay where we are — or we can give, or ask forgiveness.

     Forgiveness is a decision. It is not a feeling. A decision to forgive is a first step."

On Enthusiasm  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Henry Ford

     "Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hope rise to the stars…the sparkle in your eye…the swing in your gait, the grip in your hand, the irresistible surge of your will and your energy to execute your ideas. Enthusiasts are fighters. They have fortitude. They have the staying qualities."

Conscience Asks…  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Life’s Lessons  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coach Lou Holtz

"Experience is a tough teacher.
It tests you first and teaches you later."

Difference for Eternity  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James Freeman Clarke

"It may make a difference to all eternity whether we do right or wrong today."

To Look  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anonymous

"To look is one thing,
To see what you look at is another,
To understand what you see is a third,
To learn from what you understand,
     is still something else,
But to act on what you learn
     is all that really matters."

Daring the Soul  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Newton Clarke

"Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see."

Here for a Reason  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Whoopie Goldberg

    "I fear waking up one morning and finding out my life was all for nothing. We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark. When you’re kind to someone in trouble, you hope they remember and are kind to someone else and so on. Soon it’ll be like a wildfire."

Trust Hard Work  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sir Frederick Treves

     "Don’t bother about genius, Don’t worry about being clever. Trust to hard work, perseverance and determination."

The Second Look  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Josh Billings

     "I have lived in this world just long enough to look carefully the second time into things I am the most certain of the first time."

Truly Kind People  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chinese wisdom

     "Truly kind people forget the good things they have done in the past. They are so involved in the things they do now that they forget the things they have done before."

     "Joy is the missing ingredient in contemporary Christianity. The problem is our powerless piousness and grim religiosity."

Recipe for a Happy New Year  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anonymous

     Take twelve fine, full-grown months; see that these are thoroughly free from old memories of bitterness, rancor and hate, cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that these months are freed from all the past – have them fresh and clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of Time. Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. Do not attempt to make up the whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot this way) but prepare one day at a time.

     Into each day put equal parts of faith, patience, courage, work (some people omit this ingredient and so spoil the flavor of the rest), hope, fidelity, liberality, kindness, rest (leaving this out is like leaving the oil out of the salad dressing – don’t do it), prayer, meditation, and one well-selected resolution. Put in about one teaspoonful of good spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play, and a heaping cupful of good humor.