THIS GOES OUT TO THE MAMAS RAISING
the wild ones:
the not to be tamed,
the rare,
the reckless,
and the precious …
You are shaping stardust
into human form
minding moonlight
till it’s ready to instruct the tides
and light the nights.
Do not expect the world to see
your diamond in the rough
sparkle:
not yet –
they cannot –
but one day
they will be unable
to take their eyes away
from its shine.
To the mamas of the wild ones:
you are star-gatherers
moon-catchers
and dream-shapers –
and you are exhausted.
But shaping starlight
into human form
was always going to be tough …
and you are!
DONNA ASHWORTH – DONNAASHWORTH.COM
POWERFUL SEEDS
Want to see a miracle? Plant a word of love heart-deep in a person’s life. Nurture it with a smile and a prayer, and watch what happens.
An employee gets a compliment. A wife receives a bouquet of flowers. A cake is baked and carried next door. A widow is hugged. A petrol-pump attendant is honoured. A speaker is praised.
Sowing seeds of peace is like sowing beans. You don’t know why it works; you just know it does. Seeds are planted, and topsoils of hurt are shoved away.
Don’t forget the principle. Never underestimate the power of a seed.
MAX LUCADO – ‘THE APPLAUSE OF HEAVEN’
UNFORGETTABLE!
Live
in
the
moment …
and make it so beautiful
that it will be worth
remembering.
FANNY CROSBY
A WISH FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
May you strive to be understanding and calm when faced with other people’s chaos. May you be clear-eyed and big-hearted, and may you stay true to yourself when tested. May you remember that real compassion is not reserved for those you agree with, especially in times of sorrow. May you seek out joy and laughter; they are essential for survival. May you try as best you can to be a light, even if you flicker a bit. May your temper be cool, may your love be strong, and may your coffee be fresh and plentiful.
NANEA HOFFMAN – ‘SWEATPANTS & COFFEE’
PUFFED UP
We have become the impatient species, too busy to let nature replenish itself and too puffed up with our own sense of importance to acknowledge our utter dependence on its generosity.
DAVID SUZUKI
KEEP IT UP!
If they respect you, respect them.
If they disrespect you, still respect them.
Don’t allow the actions of others
to decrease your good manners –
because you represent yourself,
not others.
MOHAMMED ZEYARA
THE GREATEST HAZARD
To laugh is to risk
appearing a fool.
To weep is to risk
appearing sentimental.
To reach out to others
is to risk getting involved.
To show your feelings
is to risk exposing
yourself.
To place your ideas
your dreams before the
crowd is to risk their
loss.
To love is to risk not
being loved in return.
To hope is to risk pain.
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be
taken.
Because the greatest
hazard in life
is to risk nothing.
The person who risks
nothing
does nothing and has
nothing.
You may avoid
suffering and sorrow.
But you cannot
learn
feel
change
grow
love
chained by your
certainties.
You will be a slave.
Because only the one who risks
is free.
WILLIAM ARTHUR WARD
SAME OLD SAME OLD
I hate that the more hysterical folk amongst us are having such a field day, sure that the world is coming to an end and their angry prophecies are finally coming true. But they’re wrong. It’s narcissistic to think that suddenly, in our times, things are desperately worse than any time before. Things have always been crazy down here.
We forget that the world has always seemed to be coming to an end, but now it’s noisier, more global, more rococo. The news of bad things just used to stay local or took forever to reach our shores. People used to hide like meerkats peeking out of the bunker – “Here it comes! Here it comes!”
Huns, plagues, predators. It’s really the same old same old, only now we see and hear about each distant disaster within seconds of its happening …
ANNE LAMOTT – ‘FURTHER THOUGHTS ON FAITH’
CONGRATULATIONS!
You DID it!
You said you wanted to.
You planned and worked
and now it’s come true.
There
were
people
who
said
you couldn’t
or wouldn’t …
but you didn’t listen.
Congratulations!
FAIR-TRADE?
When the white missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and we had the land. They said “Let us pray.” We closed our eyes. When we opened them, we had the Bible and they had the land!
DESMOND TUTU
TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK
Hear about the clock that decided to quit?
“I’ve just worked out that I’m supposed to tick thirty-one million, five-hundred-and-thirty-six thousand times a year!” the clock protested. “That’s too much for me!”
A clever repairman overheard the clock: “No, no. You’ve got it wrong. You only have to tick once a second!”
“Hey, that’s not so bad,” said the clock, and has been ticking on and on ever since.
SUNBEAMS
Blessed
are
the
CRACKED
for
they
let
in
the
LIGHT!
SPIKE MILLIGAN
