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Volume 35, #2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 2019 |
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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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Morning Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James Dillet Freeman
"The Light of God surrounds me.
The Love of God enfolds me.
The Power of God protects me.
The Presence of God watches over me.
Wherever I am, God is."
Knowledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kung Fu Tzu (Confucius)
"When you know something, say what you know. When you don’t know something, say that you don’t know. That is knowledge.
The Choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Og Mandino
"It is an easy game to mock man’s efforts to live a better life since he was banished from Eden…Defeat, somehow seems easier to bear knowing that this was the fate prophesied for us by many men of genius. Thus, we allow ourselves to drown in a sea of mediocrity after little struggle, or we allow our true potential to rust because of disuse, or we wander through what could have been the best years of our lives filled with bitterness and self-pity and catch only an occasional fleeting glimpse of what might have been. Prophecy fulfilled.
There must be a better way to live.
There is a better way to live!
Francis, Go, Repair My House . . . . . . .
Bishop Domenico Sorrentino, Bishop of AssisiIn his "Pastoral Letter in the Eighth Centenary of the Words of the Crucifix of San Damiano to St. Francis," Bishop Sorrentino writes: Francis, go, repair my house which, as you see, is falling into ruin.
"It seems to me…in the spiritual turmoil that the young Francis was going through, those words of calling and of mission were perceived by him first of all as an invitation to bring to fulfillment the conversion just begun, taking upon himself the anxiety and the plans of Christ for his church. The first benefit he receives from the Crucifix is, in fact, that of being ‘changed.’ Celano talks about an ‘ineffable transformation.’
"In short, even before calling to ‘repair’ churches or persons, the meeting with the Crucifix of San Damiano is the special grace through which Francis himself is ‘restored’ in a profound intimacy with the Crucifix that will not stop growing and will find its seal in the stigmata of La Verna.…But, the first issue is his own change; the first thing is penance in the biblical sense of metanoia: the full conversion to Christ and to His Gospel."
Pilgrimage Reflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, TOR
"Assisi, Italy, May 2007 – an awe-filled wonder surrounded by the quietude of hallowed spaces, immersed in a sacred presence."
Resolved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Jonathan Edwards
"Resolved, to live with all my might while I do live.
Resolved, never to do anything I should despise or think meanly of
in another.
Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge.
Resolved, never to do anything which I should be afraid to do
if it were the last hour of my life."
Heart Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coach Vince Lombardi, The Leadership Challenge, 271
"In a speech before the American Management Association, Coach Vince Lombardi made these remarks, ‘Mental toughness is humility, simplicity, Spartanism. And one other, love. I don’t necessarily have to like my associates, but as a person I must love them. Love is loyalty, Love is teamwork. Love respects the dignity of the individual. Heart power is the strength of your corporation."
Fully Alive People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr. John Powell, SJ, A Life-Giving Vision, p. 4
"Fully alive people are also alive in their minds. They are very much aware of the wisdom in the statement of Socrates that ‘the unreflected life isn’t worth living.’ Fully alive people are always thoughtful and reflective. They are capable of asking the right questions of life and flexible enough to let life question them. They will not live an unreflected life in an unexamined world."
My Freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Viktor Frankl
"There is one thing no person can ever take away from me – and that is my freedom to choose how I will react to what happens to me."
Treachery of Hubris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kouses & Pozner, The Leadership Challenge, p. 299
"The treachery of hubris is insidious. It is fun to be a leader, gratifying to have influence, and exhilarating to have scores of people cheering your every word. It is empowering to set directions and have people fired up to march at your command. In more subtle ways than you would like to admit, you can be seduced by your own power and importance. All evil leaders have been infected with the disease of hubris. They become bloated with an exaggerated sense of self."
Tide Will Turn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harriet Beecher Stowe
"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."
Too Many People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Denis Waitley
"There are too many people who would rather get home than get ahead. They are motivated to get by and get pulled along by the company, the economy, or the government."
Being a Blessing . . . . . . . . . . . John Marks Templeton, Discovering the Laws of Life, p. 168
"Many people find that they receive more benefit from being a blessing that from being blessed. Oftentimes, being a blessing requires nothing more than a word of encouragement and hope to someone who is filled with discouragement and despair."
Exerting Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Booker T. Washington
"There are two ways of exerting one’s strength: pushing down or pulling up."
Re-examine Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vol. 56, #12, Royal Bank of Scotland
"It is not a sign of doubt when you re-examine things in a spirit of making sure. A person who boasts of lifelong consistency to ideas picked up in childhood is confessing that he has learned nothing in the school of experience."
Somebody Else . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown
"There’s a clever young guy named Somebody Else,
There’s nothing this guy cannot do.
He is busy from early morning to way late at night,
Just substituting for you.You are asked to do this, or you’re asked to do that
And what is your ready reply?
Get Somebody Else to do the job,
He’ll do it much than better than I.So much to do in this weary old world—
So much and workers so few,
And Somebody Else, all weary and worn,
Is still substituting for you.The next time you are asked to do something worthwhile,
Just give this reply:
If Somebody Else can give time and support,
My goodness, so can I."
Long-Winded Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown
A speaker was invited to make a twenty minute address at a conference. It was fifty minutes after his twenty that the chairperson hurled the gavel at the speaker. It missed the speaker and hit a woman at the front table.
She shouted, "You didn’t throw it hard enough, I can still hear him."
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