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Volume 30, # 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 2014 |
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![inspiration, motivation, Apple Seeds, [Apple]](AppleSeeds-1c.jpg)
![inspiration, motivation, Apple Seeds, [Apple]](AppleSeeds-2c.jpg)
Plant these "seeds" well and water often. Enjoy!
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Never Stop Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beethoven
"Then let us all do what is right, strive with all our might toward the unattainable, develop as fully as we can the gifts God has given us, and never stop learning."
Nature is Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Ruskin
"Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we have eyes like this: Look. Listen. Choose."
Life: an Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . Roger Dawson, "How to Make Life an Adventure," INSIGHT, 10/’86
"Adventurers understand that life itself is neutral, and the potential for making our lives conformist drudgery or a great adventure is solely up to us. The truth is that, regardless of your circumstances, life is neutral, and it will return its joys and rewards to you in exactly the same proportion to the effort you put forth to reach for those gifts."
Uncommon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tony Dungy, Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance, xix
Coach Cal Stoll, University of Minnesota football coach, would tell his players: "Success is uncommon, therefore not to be enjoyed by the common man. I’m looking for uncommon people."
St. Francis of Assisi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr. Larry Cunningham
"[St.] Francis’ capacity for a very specific love for others was rooted in his apprehension of two fundamental biblical ideas. The first is the statement in Genesis that every person is made ‘in the image and likeness of God’ (Gn 1:26). The second is in the New Testament refinement of that idea deriving from the fact that Jesus was the Son of God. The consequence of the Incarnation is that every person is ennobled and dignified by the fact that Christ became human and took on flesh. Every person is an image of Christ. To honor an individual is to honor that Christ who said that ‘whatever is done to the least is done to Himself’ (Mt. 25:40)."
On Greatness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Arthur Ward
"Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and character."
On Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Merton on Prayer"
"If we are attentive to what is, we are attentive to God and God is touching us in what is (reality). If you are with God, you see God in everything and everyone…All creatures are the place where God’s love is manifested. Prayer is a social act.
‘We get into direct contact with God by our relationship with people. It is in the concrete situations in life that the will of God is expressed.’"
Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St. Pope John XXIII
"See everything,
overlook a great deal,
correct a little."
Great Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sir Winston Churchill
"All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."
Call to Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled, p. 301
"To be aware of grace, to personally experience its constant presence, to know one’s nearness to God, is to know and continually experience an inner tranquility and pace that few possess. On the other hand, this knowledge and awareness brings with it an enormous responsibility. For to experience one’s closeness to God is also to experience the obligation to be God, to be the agent of His power and love. The call to grace is a call to a life of effortful caring, to a life of service and whatever sacrifice seems required."
Commitment to Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vince Lombardi, Sr.,
What It Takes to Be #1, Vince Lombardi on Leadership, 7"Most important of all, to be successful in life demands that a man make a personal commitment to excellence and to victory, even though the ultimate victory can never be completely won. Yet that victory might be pursued and wooed with every fiber of our body, with every bit of our might and all our effort. And each week, there is a new encounter; each day, there is a new challenge."
Great Minds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Washington Irving
"Great minds have purposes,
others have wishes."
Competitive Greatness . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Britton & Jimmy Page, Wisdom Walks Sports, p. 22
"Peace of mind…is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming." John Wooden.
"Legendary basketball coach John Wooden coined the phrase ‘Competitive Greatness.’ But, as a competitive athlete, I sometimes get it mixed up with ‘Being Great.’ Not good! Being the best is striving to be number one. Competitive greatness is not being the best, but being the best you can be. There can only be one best, but everyone can achieve being the best they can be. And there is only one player who can be the best on a team, but a whole team can achieve competitive greatness.
Competitive greatness is learning to rise to every occasion and to push yourself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually to reach your God-given potential.…"
Two Great Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Rohn
"The two great words of antiquity are behold and beware. Behold the possibilities and beware the temptations."
On Persistence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anonymous
"There is a genius in persistence. It conquers all opposers. It gives confidence. It annihilates obstacles. Everybody believes in a determined person. People know that when one undertakes a thing, the battle is half won, for one’s rule is to accomplish whatever he or she sets out to do."
Misunderstandings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Goethe
"Misunderstandings and neglect occasion more mischief in the world than even malice and wickedness."
Ability to Recognize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anthony de Mello, SJ
A writer arrived at the monastery to write a book about the Master. "People say you are a genius," he asked. "Are you?"
"You might say so," said the Master, none too modestly.
"And what makes one a genius?"
"The ability to recognize."
"Recognize what?"
"To recognize the butterfly in a caterpillar; the eagle in an egg; the saint in a selfish human being," said the Master.
Empty Your Pockets Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erma Bombeck
Erma Bombeck was known for her humorous journalism which she frequently seasoned with bits of wisdom. In her column on March 10, 1987, Erma wrote:
"I always had a dream that when I am asked to give an accounting of my life to a higher court, it will go like this: ‘So, empty your pockets. What have you got left of your life? Any dreams that were unfulfilled? Any unused talents that we gave you when you were born left? Any unsaid compliments or bits of love that you haven’t spread around?’
"And I will answer, ‘I’ve nothing to return. I spent everything you gave me. I am as naked as the day I was born.’
"Do you still have some encouragement that you haven’t spread around? Do you have ability you have not used up? Do you still have some bits of love to share?"
"If you were asked to empty your pockets today, will you find them half-full? Or will you discover that you have joyously spent everything you were given?"
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