®   Volume 21, # 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . March, 2006

©

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

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Art of Governing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aristotle

    "All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth."

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Process of Self-Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Gardner, Stanford Univ. Commencement, 1991

    "Life is an endless unfolding and—if we wish it to be—an endless process of self-discovery, an endless and unpredictable dialogue between our own potentialities and the life situations in which we find ourselves. Perhaps you think that by age 35 or 45 or even 55 you will have explored those potentialities pretty fully. Don’t deceive yourself! The capacities you actually develop to the full come out as the result of an interplay between you and life’s challenges—and the challenges keep coming. And the challenges keep changing."

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Mirror of Ourselves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Earl Nightingale, INSIGHT, # 54

    "The world each of us lives in every day, in the long run, is a mirror of ourselves; it is created by ourselves. Occasionally, it’s a good idea to take inventory and ask ourselves, ‘Do I like the world in which I live?’ If not, I’m the one who’s going to have to change."

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On Happiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Storm Jameson, Bits & Pieces, Nov. 14, 1991

    "Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed."

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Wisdom Seeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward

"Worry is wasting today’s time by cluttering up tomorrow’s opportunities with yesterday’s troubles." "Four steps to achievement: planning, preparation, practice, and persistence."

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Unsought Thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Locke

    "The thoughts that come often unsought and, as it were, drop into the mind are the most valuable of any we have, and therefore should be secured because they seldom return again."

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On Defeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich, p. 40

"No one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality."

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Life Worth Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Raymond B. Fosdick

    "The only life worth living is the adventurous life. Of such a life the dominant characteristic is that it is unafraid. The herd may graze where it pleases or stampede when it pleases, but he who lives the adventurous life will remain unafraid when he finds himself alone."

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On Intelligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . George Santayana

"Intelligence is quickness in seeing things as they are"

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The Divine Spark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geoffery Barraclough, The Practical Cogitator, p. 164

"Toynbee ends his Study of History with ‘a message of encouragement…’ The divine spark of creative power is still alive in us, and if we have the grace to kindle it into flame, then the stars in their courses cannot defeat our efforts to attain the goal of human endeavor.…But the more fundamental question still remains: Is there a will? Is ‘the divine spark of creative power’ still alive in us, despite what Toynbeee calls ‘the spiritual inadequacy’…"

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On a Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr. James McKarns, LIVING FAITH, Oct–Dec, ‘94

    "If we can see our lives as being on a mission, it will give us strength and courage far beyond that which we previously thought we possessed. When there is a cause and purpose for us to achieve, we are energized and we proceed in haste to see it fulfilled.

    Our plan to bring a dream to reality may often seem very difficult, but if it’s true and good, then we also need to remember that ‘nothing is impossible with God.’"

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Spirituality of Waiting . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . Henri Nouwen, WEAVINGS, Vol. II, # 1

"In our particular historical situation, waiting is even more difficult because we are so fearful. One of the most pervasive emotions in the atmosphere around us is fear. People are afraid—afraid of inner feelings, afraid of other people, and also afraid of the future. Fearful people have a hard time waiting, because when we are afraid we want to get away from where we are. But if we cannot flee, we may fight instead. Many of our destructive acts come from the fear that something harmful will be done to us. And if we take a broader perspective—that not only individuals but whole communities and nations might be afraid of being harmed—we can understand how hard it is to wait and how tempting it is to act…     People who live in a world of fear are more likely to make aggressive, hostile, destructive responses than people who are not so frightened. The more afraid we are, the harder waiting becomes. That is why waiting is such an unpopular attitude for many people."

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Try Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fay Compton

    "If the failures of this world could realize how desperate half the present-day geniuses once felt, they would take heart and try again."

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Feel New Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Rohn, www.JimRohn.com

    "My own life was completely transformed because of the inspiring and encouraging words of one man who saw in me more than I was then able to see in myself. That, in the final analysis, is the greatest contribution we can make to the life of another—to enable them to feel new hope, sense new emotions, and see new possibilities."

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Live With Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . Michel de Montaigne

"The great and glorious masterpiece of man is how to live with a great purpose."

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Remember the Three Bones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown

    An Irish father was seeing his son off on a steamship where the lad was going to a new land with the intention of seeking his fortune in a new way of life.

    "Now, Michael, my boy," said the father as they parted, "remember the three bones, and ye’ll always get along all right."

    A stranger standing nearby overheard the remark, and when the ship was underway, he asked the old gentleman what the three bones he referred to in his parting advice to his son.

    "Sure, now," responded the old Irishman, "and wouldn’t it be the wishbone and the jawbone and the backbone? It’s the wishbone that keeps you going after things, and it’s the jawbone that helps you find out how to go after them if you are not too proud to ask a question when there’s something you don’t know, and it’s the backbone that keeps you at it until you get there."

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Not During Lent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown

    An Irish priest, newly arrived in New York City, decided to visit the section known as the Bowery, haven for homeless alcoholics and addicts. As he walked along one of the Bowery’s streets one dark night he suddenly felt a gun in his back. A raspy voice said, "All right mister, gimme all your money."

    Quickly he reached for his wallet and, as he did, the holdup man noticed his clerical collar. The thief was overcome with shame. "Forgive me, father," he said, "I didn’t know you were a priest."

    To which the victim replied, "That’s all right laddy, just repent of your sin. Here have one of my cigars."

    "Oh, no thank you, father," said the thief, "I don’t smoke during Lent."

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