According to the folks at "Blogger", the Pius X blog is getting kinda big. So I've created this second blog, all fresh and new. You will be able to read the first blog but not post anything. Accessing this new Pius Blog will be faster and easier - until it too gets too big!Also, I've removed some other postings that were just taking up space. I hope this will also improve the performance of the blog.
Blog away ...
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God is closest to those with broken hearts. ~Jewish Saying
totd
I simply believe that some part of the human Self or Soul is not subject to the laws of space and time. ~Carl Jung
OK, nay volunteers for shoveling my house...?
Didn't think so...
Ah well, doesn't matta.
Here we go, another week!
TOTD:
If you observe a really happy man you will find him building a boat, writing a symphony, educating his son, growing double dahlias in his garden. He will not be searching for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled under the radiator.
W. Beran Wolfe
TOTD:
It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out--it's the grain of sand in your shoe.
Robert Service
TOTD: Have a great weekend everyone!!!
TOTD:
MY FRIDAY STORY
The story that inspired the White Envelope Project
This story was originally published in the December 14, 1982 issue of Woman’s Day magazine. It was the first place winner out of thousands of entries in the magazine’s “My Most Moving Holiday Tradition” contest in which readers were asked to share their favorite holiday tradition and the story behind it. Woman’s Day continues to support this tradition and The White Envelope Project today.
For the Man Who Hated Christmas
by Nancy W. Gavin
It’s just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past ten years or so.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas--oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it--overspending... the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma---the gifts given in desperation because you couldn’t think of anything else.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler’s ears.
It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn’t acknowledge defeat.
Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.” Mike loved kids - all kids - and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That’s when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition--one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.
The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn’t end there.
You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.
Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing to take down the envelope.
Mike’s spirit, like the Christmas spirit will always be with us.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This story is indeed a true story and inspired four siblings from Atlanta, GA to start The White Envelope Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting this tradition and charitable giving. The White Envelope Project founders are regularly in touch with the family in the article and are thrilled to have their support. Sadly, Nancy Gavin (the author) died less than two years after her husband - also of "the dreaded cancer." Her legacy lives on as the Gavin family and now thousands of others continue to celebrate the "white envelope" tradition each year. For more information about The White Envelope Project or to honor a loved one through a "white envelope" gift this year, please visit their website www.WhiteEnvelopeProject.org.
totd
Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired. ~Jules Renard
totd..on same theme of habit
The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half. ~Feodor Dostoevski
HAVE A GOD WEEK EVERYONE
Hope you all had a great weekend!
TOTD:
Millions of items in the outward order are present to my senses which never properly enter into my experience. Why? Because they have no interest for me. My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I notice shape my mind -- without selective interest, experience is an utter chaos.
William James, Principles of Psychology, 1890
TOTD:
There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
Douglas Adams
TOTD:
Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
Howard Thurman
TOTD:
Everything you do should be done with peace. That is the best medicine for your body, mind, and soul. It is the most wonderful way to live.
Paramahansa Yogananda
TOTD:
SECRET SANTA
©2007 Kathleene S. Baker
The man had just filled his car with gas; he was cold, wet, and ready to head for home. He opened his car door and bent down to climb inside…
“Sir, sir…”
He glanced in the direction of the frail voice to find a well-dressed, elderly lady attempting to get his attention.
He closed the car door and walked towards her. “Can I help you, ma’am?”
The older woman explained that the gas pump was not working properly, and asked if he knew what she was doing wrong.
“These are new pumps and very touchy—even for me. I’ve found the easiest thing to do is forget locking them while I fill; they keep shutting off for some reason.”
“Oh my! I can’t keep pressure on that handle until my tank is full. My hands don’t have much strength in them anymore.” She cast her blue eyes to the ground in frustration.
“I’d be honored to fill your tank for you!” The man’s Texas accent was gentle and he gave her a little wink. “By the way, I love your British accent.”
“Yes, a British accent in Texas…people always notice!” She smiled. “We just came to the States a few years ago. That’s my husband in the car.” She paused for a moment, “He has Alzheimer’s now.”
“I’m so very sorry…for both of you.” After a slight lull the gentleman continued. “Why don’t you get back in the car while I do this; the snow is picking up and you’re going to get wet.”
She was a lovely woman with snowy-white hair; her attire was prim and proper as one would expect from a Brit. “I’d rather visit if you don’t mind. Our son is out of town for Christmas; he’s with his wife’s family this year and I’m feeling a bit blue.”
A knot formed in the Texan’s throat and he hoped to change the subject. “Just what are the two of you doing out in this weather? I hope your drive home is a short one. You know these Texas drivers aren’t the best when it comes to snow and sleet,” he teased.
“We’re on our way home from a Christmas party. The medical center has one each year for the Alzheimer patients. They are rather like children’s parties—and they have Santa visit. Oftentimes patients will have moments they recall things from their past. Some sing along to Christmas carols when they haven’t carried on an actual conversation in quite a long while.”
“Did anyone recognize Santa today?”
“Oh, yes, my husband recognized Santa and tried to steal his hat! He even said, ‘Ho, ho, ho—Merry Christmas.’ His recollection was rather brief but it was the highlight of my day.” She grinned.
The gas pump clicked off, the woman swiped her credit card to make payment, and turned to thank the man who had been willing to help her. The two were saying their farewells when the squeal of brakes, a thud, and breaking glass at the intersection caught their attention.
“Oh, my!” The lady whimpered with a distressed expression. “It’s getting so slick. I’ve got to hurry and get home.”
“Ma’am, I’d be honored to follow you in case you have problems.”
She hesitated momentarily and then appeared relieved, “Oh, I’d be so grateful. I can’t thank you enough. And by the way, my name is Margaret.” She reached out to shake hands with her new friend.
“Margaret, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Ray.” He patted her hand gently before they released their grasp. “You just drive slowly; I’ll be right behind you.”
When Margaret pulled into her garage Ray stopped curbside. “I just want to be sure you get inside safely,” he shouted.
Margaret waved and asked him to wait for a moment—then nodded and spoke to her neighbor hanging Christmas lights. She guided John into the house, quickly reappeared in the garage, and motioned for Ray to pull into the driveway.
She thanked Ray again and soon mentioned this being the first Christmas she and her husband had ever spent alone. Ray, always a soft touch for older folks, was happy to listen. She spoke fondly of traditions her family adhered to when she was a child in England and revealed an interesting glimpse into her past…plus a taste of her cherished memories from across the pond.
“You know mistletoe is very traditional in England. My first “real” kiss was under the mistletoe when I was a teenager. Oh, what memories I have.” For a split second, Margaret looked like a young girl again.
Several minutes passed before Margaret began to shiver and they were forced to say farewell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christmas morn found Margaret peeking out her front door just as the sun crested the horizon. She stepped outside, instantly clasped her hands like a small child, and peered up and down the street. With not a soul in sight she began to examine the items discovered on her porch…each one dredged up memories of years gone by in Merry Old England.
Just above her head hung an arrangement of mistletoe adorned with elegant lace; she touched it gently. Bedecked with Victorian ornaments, a small, lighted Christmas tree sat in the corner—beneath it a homemade mincemeat pie wrapped securely and tied with golden ribbon. The card attached said only, “From: Santa.” Hanging from the doorknob a brilliant red Santa Claus hat with tag, “To: John.”
Margaret called to John; he slowly made his way and stepped outside. Nothing on the porch sparked his interest until Margaret placed the Santa hat in his hands. After staring at it and stroking the velvety softness, he plopped it onto his head. It sat askew but John’s face beamed as his voice rang out across the neighborhood, “Ho, ho, ho! Ho, ho, ho!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Parked several houses away, a Secret Texas Santa sniffed and wiped at a lone tear… a happy tear. “Merry Christmas and God Bless.” He smiled and drove towards home.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathy was born and raised in the small town of Augusta, Kansas, a few miles outside of Wichita. She married a native Texan, Jerry, in 1977 and was soon transplanted to Dallas. A large city offers many things, but she misses the slower pace of small town America. Kathy has two stepchildren and four grandchildren. Pets have always played a huge part in her life. In fact, they were her inspiration to begin writing. Kathy's website can be viewed at: YELLOW ROSE (www.txyellowrose.com) or she can be contacted at Lnstrlady@aol.com
Okay, my turn ...
I heard this recently and I felt my heart swell.
"Miracles are not contrary to nature, only to what we know about nature".
- Saint Augustine
totd
All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct results of his own thoughts.
JAMES ALLEN
totd
There is more refreshment and stimulation in a nap, even of the briefest, than in all the alcohol ever distilled. ~Edward Lucas
TOTD:
In every seed is the promise of thousands of forests. But the seed must not be hoarded; it must give its intelligence to the fertile ground. Through its giving, its unseen energy flows into material manifestation.
Deepak Chopra in The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
totd:
Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. T o map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires...courage.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
TOTD:
Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we are curious...and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
Walt Disney
See you all here on Christmas Eve!!!
TOTD:
FRIDAY STORY
The Strand I Could Not Fix
By Janet Perez Eckles
Like fog in the morning, the spirit of Christmas had vanished. Still, I shuffled in the garage. One by one, I retrieved the bins I’d stored the previous Christmas. While the aroma of sugar cookies wafted through the air and Silent Night played in the background, I began the decorating.
Placing the nativity scene as the focal point of our family room, I spread the rest of the decorations around the house: red and green candles, musical boxes with winter scenes, and bright red poinsettias framed with green garland adorned with burgundy, velvet bows. They all transformed our home into a lively winterland.
Next, I retrieved three stockings to fill the marked places above the fireplace; each embroidered with our sons’ names: Jason, Jeff, and Joe. Once Jason and Jeff’s were hung, with tears burning my eyes, I clutched Joe’s against my chest.
The empty stocking sears my heart. It’s been five years since the Lord called Joe home. Five years that Joe’s absence left an emptiness we can almost touch. And five years that God’s grace wiped away portions of the grief that flogged our hearts. But often, it’s the scorching pain that opens our eyes to a bigger picture.
Years ago, when our three sons, including Joe, were still young, I focused on providing a perfect Christmas; a perfect tree to wrap a perfect celebration. As a result, little things tended to roil in me such as a light strand that refused to shine because of a burned bulb. Annoyed at the glitch, I promptly set off to resolve it —I fussed, I rearranged, plugged and unplugged until frustration grew hot in me.
How foolish and silly. I focused on that one bulb, dismissing the glow of the star atop the Christmas tree. I’d done the same with light bulbs that burned in my life—from broken relationships to shattered plans. Exerting tons of energy trying to fix them, I missed the star-- the one that gave significance to my life.
When that void in our heart aches to be filled, it’s the star of comfort that makes it whole. When bitter sorrow robs the spirit of Christmas, it’s the star of His genuine love that whispers joy. When a health diagnosis shakes our world, it’s the star of reassurance that shines the certainty of new tomorrow’s. It’s the same star that never loses the brilliance of hope, incomprehensible hope, one we can only embrace when all strands of life burn out.
With eyes focused on the star, I hang Joe’s stocking along with his brothers’; not empty anymore—but filled with sweet memories--his wit, laughter, his hugs and kisses.
For that reason, God called it His "Morning Star" to dispel our darkness, dry our tears and repair strands we cannot fix.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janet Perez Eckles is an author and national speaker. She loves to host visitors to her site, and imparts bits of inspiration in her blog. www.janetperezeckles.com
totd
One only needs two tools in life: WD-40 to make things go, and duct tape to make them stop. ~G.M. Weilacher
totd....well everyone or anyone Have a Merry Christmas as i leave you in the faithful hands of Len...here is some
Magic
I got a coin in your palm
I can make it disappear
I got a card up my sleeve
Name it and I'll pull it out your ear
I got a rabbit in the hat
If you wanna come and see
This is what will be
This is what will be
I got shackles on my wrists
Soon I'll slip and I'll be gone
Chain me in a box in the river
And rising in the sun
Trust none of what you hear
And less of what you see
This is what will be (This is what will be)
This is what will be
[Instrumental]
(I'll cut you in half)
I got a shiny saw blade (a shiny saw blade)
All I need's a volunteer
I'll cut you in half
While you're smilin' ear to ear
And the freedom that you sought
Driftin' like a ghost amongst the trees
This is what will be
This is what will be (This is what will be)
Now there's a fire down below
But it's coming up here
So leave everything you know
Carry only what you fear
On the road the sun is sinkin' low
Bodies hanging in the trees
This is what will be (This is what will be)
This is what will be
Bruce Springsteen
I will not post anything tomorrow as I will be celebrating His birth and will be very busy. But I am here now and I think that this TOTD/message from the cardinal of Westminster can shed some light on what Christmas is for some and should be for others. Peace and love to you all and have a Blessed Christmas. May He bestow upon you all the graces that you are able to accept.
Len and Family
TOTD:
By: Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor
Diocese of Westminster, 2005:
Good morning … There is a lot happening this Christmas. But it is not in the shops and the parties and the pulsating lights. To find out what is really going on you have to stop and listen; and maybe you will hear it: a sharp, persistent cry: the cry of a baby: God’s cry, as he visits his people. He is the Word made flesh, yet newly-born he cannot speak. But goodness, how he wails. Every mother knows that imploring sound: it stops her in her tracks, makes her put everything down and run towards the child. It is a cry for help and protection; a cry for love and intimacy. The Child of Bethlehem cries on behalf of the lost and the lonely, the exiled stranger, those struck by grief; his is the cry of the elderly who spend most of their hours alone, the prisoner who faces his own guilt, the AIDS orphans and the farmers longing for rain. They are not asking for much: just to be part of the human family. I leave tomorrow for Sri Lanka, for a 10-day visit to the places still devastated by last year’s tsunami waves. I’ll be returning, like the Magi, on Epiphany – who knows? - a little wiser. In the stories of the fishermen of the communities there I know I will meet the Christ-Child of Bethlehem, crying on their behalf. But do not forget he cries for you too, whoever you are: for deep in our own hearts we are all pleading for intimacy and merciful love. When you are with those you care for this Christmas, I hope you will listen for that cry in the hearts of others and that the cry of the hearts of the people outside your windows stops you in your tracks. At the end of Christmas services in eastern Europe people kiss one another with the words, ‘Christ is born!’, and the kisses are returned with the answer: ‘Truly He is born!’. You can kill people in crowds, but you can only kiss them one by one. The message of the Christ Child is that we are not a crowd. We are many; but God sees only each of us. Tonight God slips gently into the world as a child, to be with us. There is nothing we have done that cannot be forgiven; there is nothing about us which will stop God loving us. Listen for the sound. God is crying for you and me. He wants to embrace you. To find out what is really going on this Christmas, let him.
totd
Merry Christmas Everyone !!
Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...
~Norman Wesley Brooks, "Let Every Day Be Christmas," 1976
Hopefully everyone had a nice Christmas...totd
In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it "Christmas" and went to church; the Jews called it "Hanukkah" and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say "Merry Christmas!" or "Happy Hanukkah!" or (to the atheists) "Look out for the wall!" ~Dave Barry
Tony:
I really liked that one!
It was simpler before everyone decided to be "politically correct". And "Look out for the wall!" really gave me a good laugh!
Thanks for your wonderful contribution you this blog.
Ah, the old days, (sigh).
TOTD:
The creation of someting new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.
Carl Jung
Luke,
You're welcome...from time to time i like throwing a curve.. as long as they do not offend anyone...still i have no idea who reads these posts...besides you and Len....
Hey Tony,
More people read this than any of us realize. There have been folk who have admited to coming in to take a peek every now and then. But they leave no trace and remain like ghosts (Oooo-woooh!).
As for controversy, you can see from my last post that I don't give a rat's ass what people think! If you want to include a quote that may shake some peoples' cages, I'll give you my full support. Y'see, whatever goes on this blog is entirely my responsibility and I think people should read a few quotes that'll get their noodles working.
So, carry on, my friends. Our friends need TOTDs that are both inspirational AND thought-provoking.
One of my thousands of New Year's resolutions is to pay much more attention to my beloved blog. And I'll express myself freely, too. Hey, it's a free country (plus GST)!
Hey, I thought we were non politically correct! GST, is that not political (well, sort of anyway...)
Have a good weekend everyone:
TOTD:
Don't Quit
Author Unknown
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he'd stuck it out.
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are -
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.
TOTD ...This beautiful Tim Hardin song comes to mind...check out Bobby Darin's version on you tube 9 months prior to his death..
If i were a Carpenter
If I were a carpenter
and you were a lady,
Would you marry me anyway?
Would you have my baby?
If a tinker were my trade
would you still find me,
carrin' the pots I made,
followin' behind me.
Save my love through loneliness,
Save my love for sorrow,
I'm given you my onliness,
Come give your tomorrow.
If I worked my hands in wood,
Would you still love me?
Answer me babe, "Yes I would,
I'll put you above me."
If I were a miller
at a mill wheel grinding,
would you miss your color box,
and your soft shoe shining?
If I were a carpenter
and you were a lady,
Would you marry me anyway?
Would you have my baby?
Would you marry anyway?
Would you have my baby?
totd...
A Happy New Year to Everyone
But can one still make resolutions when one is over forty? I live according to twenty-year-old habits. ~Andre Gide
totd
Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours." ~Robert Byrne
Sorry for my absence,
Again, I fell ill. This has not been a good beginning for 2008...
Have a good one y'all:
A Creed for Self-Discipline
Willpower:
Recognizing that the power of will is the supreme court over all other departments of my mind, I will exercise it daily, when I need the urge to action for any purpose; and I will form habits designed to bring the power of my will into action at least once daily.
Emotions:
Realizing that my emotions are both positive and negative I will form daily habits which will encourage the development of the positive emotions, and aid me in converting the negative emotions into some form of useful action.
Reason:
Recognizing that both my positive emotions and my negative emotions may be dangerous if they are not controlled and guided to desirable ends, I will submit all my desires, aims and purposes to my faculty of reason, and I will be guided by it in giving expression to these.
Imagination:
Recognizing the need for sound plans and ideas for the attainment of my desires, I will develop my imagination by calling upon it daily for help in the formation of my plans.
Conscience:
Recognizing that my emotions often err in their over-enthusiasm, and my faculty of reason often is without the warmth of feeling that is necessary to enable me to combine justice with mercy in my judgments, I will encourage my conscience to guide me as to what is right and what is wrong, but I will never set aside the verdicts it renders, no matter what may be the cost of carrying them out.
Memory:
Recognizing the value of an alert memory, I will encourage mine to become alert by taking care to impress it clearly with all thoughts I wish to recall, and by associating those thoughts with related subjects which I may call to mind frequently.
Subconscious Mind:
Recognizing the influence of my subconscious mind over my power of will, I shall take care to submit to it a clear and definite picture of my major purpose in life and all minor purposes leading to my major purpose, and I shall keep this picture constantly before my subconscious mind by repeating it daily.
len hope you're feeling better/ love your creed for self-discipline
totd
Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them. ~John Shirley
totd
Prayer is to the soul, as the heart is to the body
Don Bosco
TOTD:
Do not brood over your past mistakes and failures as this will only fill your mind with grief, regret and depression. Do not repeat them in the future.
Swami Sivananda
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.
Annie Dillard
This is a nice one:
TOTD:
When you are in doubt, be still, and wait; when doubt no longer exists for you, then go forward with courage. So long as mists envelop you, be still; be still until the sunlight pours through and dispels the mists -- as it surely will. Then act with courage.
Ponca Chief White Eagle
TOTD:
Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.
Sophia Loren
Hey folks!!
I will be off for a week or so and I trust that Tony will fill in for me whilst I am gone...
Peace!
Len
TOTD:
FRIDAY STORY
Attitude
Author unknown
Submitted by Emma Jo Krause
There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today?"
So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
"H-M-M," she said,
"I think I'll part my hair down the middle today?"
So she did and she had a grand day.
The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.
"Well," she said,
"today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up,
looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
"YEA!" she exclaimed,
"I don't have to fix my hair today!"
Attitude is everything.
Be kinder than necessary,
for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live simply,
Love generously,
Care deeply,
Speak kindly.......
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
totd
A bargain is something you can't use at a price you can't resist. ~Franklin P. Jones
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All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors. ~Author Unknown
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Racism isn't born, folks, it's taught. I have a two-year-old son. You know what he hates? Naps! End of list. ~Dennis Leary
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Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. ~William James
totd
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White
If only I'd known that all those years ago! [har-haarrr!]
Thanks for the great work, Tony! A good source has told me more people read this than we know. I've also been told that these words of wisdom have been a great help to more than one person.
So, thanks to our secret readers. And a big thanks to those who share wisdom with us, Len and Tony.
Cheers!
thxs Luke...
Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go. ~Author Unknown
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No photographer is as good as the simplest camera. ~Edward Steichen
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Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive. ~Elbert Hubbard
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Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories. ~From the movie An Affair to Remember
Hey everybody, unfortunatley for you I am back...
Today is Martin Luther King Day in the good ol' U.S of A so I thought about this...:
TOTD:
We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
TOTD:
Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each one of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.
Robert F. Kennedy
PS: I hate snow...
Len
So I'm watching American Idol and why you ask? Because we live in a North American society where we like to waste a colossal amount of resources, one of which is time...
Len
TOTD:
Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true.
Napoleon Hill
TOTD:
The meaning of life is creative love. Not love as an inner feeling, as a private sentimental emotion, but love as a dynamic power moving out into the world and doing something original.
Tom Morris
OK, now my question is what is the meaning of creative love (yeah baby...)
Have a great weekend everyone!!!
TOTD:
FRIDAY STORY
The Sands of Forgiveness
by Author Unknown
A story tells that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face.
The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.
They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him.
After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.
The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"
The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."
LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE.
totd
If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin. ~Charles Darwin
Len...loved your friday story
Everyone have a good week
totd
All man's troubles come from not knowing how to sit still in one room. ~Blaise Pascal, Pensées, 1670
totd
Before you begin on the journey of revenge, dig two graves. ~Proverb
totd
Before you begin on the journey of revenge, dig two graves. ~Proverb
totd
Before you begin on the journey of revenge, dig two graves. ~Proverb
totd
Before you begin on the journey of revenge, dig two graves. ~Proverb
Sorry, I was, uh, not available shall we say? Oh, be quiet...
TOTD:
Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.
Cadet maxim, USMA, West Point, NY
Hi guys.
YUP! I'm still alive.Some know by my e-mails.
I've just been reading all in here and I must say, very inspiring quotes and stories.
I enjoyed the Christmas stuff that was written.
As usual, all the TOTD's have been a delight to read.
Len, how's the new baby doing in the family? Is Daniel adapting well?? God bless for that.
Tony, I haven't seen much e-mails from you but hope you are receiving mine. Hope you're well, my friend.
Luke, keep up the good work and stay true to what you love. That's what's important to keep you well and sane, buddy. You're doing a great job.
Sorry I haven't been in here much but I do read in here, sometimes, even tho I don't write back.
Peace to all and will try to come back in here soon.
Hugs
xoxoxoxo
TOTD:
Thought is a language that has no sound, while words are the symbols of a language. When language and thinking are excessive, they become a hindrance to wisdom.
Zen
HEY TINKER,
Nice of you to pop by! Hope all is well and yes, Daniel is adapting well to his new environment. Everything else is how it should be but due to work related issues, I am not always able to get my tots on here evey day, but I do try and for the most part, I succeed. I always heve Luke and Tony checking up of course and in case I do not deliver, well, they are able to pinch hit for me should the nedd arise.
Have a gr8t day everyone!!
len
Len,
All is well here. Thanks for asking.
As for keeping up with your TOTD's, give yourself a pat on the back for taking the time to come in here EVERY day and posting. That's already a plus regardless of some days that you miss! (which isn't much from what I've seen!)
Have a good day, y'all and be well.
Ciao, ciao
TOTD:
As rain does not break into a well-thatched house, so craving does not break into a well-trained mind."
The Dhammapada
TOTD:
FRIDAY STORY
"Red Rover, Red Rover...!"
(are you linking arms?)
By Carrie Wilkerson
In my business...myjob -- I work primarily with women. As a matter of fact, my husband is the only "non-chic" on staff or in the client base. (lucky guy :) And while I love working at home and being "in charge" of my income and my schedule (scary as that seems) - it can sometimes be lonesome and overwhelming!
It took me awhile to realize that I did not have to be in business BY myself! I could join forces with other women and make some great friends(men and women) that were like-minded!
(Don't tell anyone...but I'm even very close friends with many women who are in direct competition with my company.) GASP!!!
And...hang onto your chair -- I will also admit that I even MENTOR many of them in business so that they will be more successful! (EEK!)
I have even had gals work FOR me that then left my company to start something similar and I helped them get started.
WHY? Why would I do such a thing? That is SOOOOO un-business-like!
Well...what I have found is that we are stronger and more powerful when we hold onto each other. Have you ever heard that "two heads are better than one?"
And what about Mary Kay Ash's famous philosophy that "if you have an idea and I have an idea - then we EACH have JUST ONE idea...but if you share your idea with me and I do the same...we EACH have TWO ideas!"
Brilliant! And in a spiritual sphere, I've also heard it said that each of us are angels with just one wing...and we can only fly by embracing one another...)
This reminds me of the playground game from elementary school...the game where you have two lines facing each other and someone from the "other" team tries to break through your team's line.
RED ROVER -- remember that one??
You can stand beside each other, not touching...you can hold hands or you can link arms with each other. Which do you think makes the strongest bond?
You're right! Linking arms makes us a powerful force...personally and professionally!
Look around you today - who can you link arms with?
Maybe it's time you linked arms with your spouse and kids for a stronger family!
Maybe you should link arms with your co-workers?
What about other members of your congregation or neighborhood?
What about other men and women in business or building a business!
I know you will be thrilled with the results when you begin proactively "linking arms" this week!
totd
I can't wait all my life
On a street of broken dreams.
~Journey, "It Could Have Been You"
totd
Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. ~Kin Hubbard
totd
Eleanor Rigby
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Ah, look at all the lonely people
Eleanor rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from ?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong ?
Father mckenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near.
Look at him working. darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Eleanor rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father mckenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
Lennon/ Mccartney
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Lao-Tzu
Help is like light, even a little is good...
God to Joan
Joan of Arcadia
It's Ash Wednesday folks, what are you doing for Lent?
Just an FYI that I will be posting quotes from the now defunct Joan of Arcadia series off and on during Lent. A thought provoking series about God, us, teens and cops. Whodathunkit?
TOTD:
from Joan of Arcadia...:
Joan - A lot of what happens here really sucks. So much for your perfect system. Can you see me being really mad at you right now?
God - Yes.
Joan - Why does it have to be so hard?
God - What, specifically?
Joan - Being alive. Let's start there.
God - You wish you weren't alive?
Joan - No, I-- I don't know. I wish it didn't hurt so much.
God - It hurts because you feel it, Joan, because you're alive. You love people. That generates a lot of power, a lot of energy, same kind of energy that binds atoms together. And we've all seen what happens when you try to pry them apart.
Joan - So if I don't get attached to people, then it won't hurt so much?
God - No, it's in your nature to get attached to people. I put that in the recipe. It's when you guys try to ignore that, when you try to go it alone, that's when it gets ugly. Its hell.
Joan - It's hell? Like the hell?
God - Oh, look. Your house. Go on, Joan. People are waiting for you.
Have a good weekend everyone!!
TOTD:
FRIDAY STORY
The Risk of Love
by Kris Hydmore
There is a risk involved in everything
Every time you share a smile
Every time you shed a tear
You are opening yourself up to hurt.
Some people tread slowly through life,
Avoiding the closeness risk brings,
Side-stepping the things they can't understand
Turning away from those who care too much,
Those who care stay too long,
Those who hold too tightly.
There is never an easy way to love
You can not approach it cautiously
It will not wait for you to arm yourself.
It does not care if you turn away
It is everywhere, it is everything.
Love is the greatest of all risks.
It is not reliable, it is not cautious,
It is not sympathetic
It is unprejudiced and unmerciliess.
It strikes the strongest of mind,
And brings them to their knees in one blow.
Even in the best of times, love hurts.
It hurts to need, it hurts to belong,
It hurts to be the other part of someone else,
Without either of your consent.
But, from the moment it overtakes you,
It hurts worse to be all alone.
The risk of love never depletes;
It grows stronger and more dangerous with time.
But, it's in the total surrender of all defense,
That we, no matter weak or strong,
No matter willing or captive,
No matter what, we truly experience love.
Despite the many things love is not,
Outweighing it all are the things that love is.
Love is surrender without a loss.
It is a gift without the cost.
It consumes your every thought & desire,
Every breath you take.
It is the fire that fuels you
To do more than pass through life;
It urges you, instead, to live.
No matter the outcome, having felt love,
You will never be the same.
It may scar your heart & soul
And Leave you only memories of forever.
Or, it may cause every day of your life
To feel like there is no need for tomorrow.
But, love is worth it. It is worth the risk...
For in all of life,
Love is truly the only risk worth taking.
totd
The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket. ~Frank Hubbard
totd
Don't be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn't do what you do or think as you think or as fast. There was a time when you didn't know what you know today. ~Malcolm X
Hope y'all had a great weekend!
And now, back to the show...
TOTD:
Power-Walking Woman God: (talking to Joan) I understand you're confused. But there are no dilemmas without confusion, there's no free will without dilemmas, and there's no humanity without free will.
Joan of Arcadia:
Da best family show...evaa!
LEN:
I REALLY liked that last TOTD! This show must have had some very talented writers. I only got to see a handful of episodes and when the show ended, I couldn't help but feel as if I had missed out on something good.
I know some folk who subscribe to some of the more "fundamentalist" beliefs. They maintain that there is no free will and that everything is pre-ordained by God. And anyway, they argue, free will is like original sin. Your TOTD expresses my own opinion, only more eloquantly!
God explaining to Joan why He asks her to do things...
God - Look, you wont always know why I ask you to do things. You wont always see the effects. Just think about what you learned in AP Chemistry.
Joan - I didn't learn anything. I got the others to do it.
God - The smallest catalyst can set of mind-boggling chain reactions. One time, I said Let There Be Light (the light bulb he was working on lights up) all hell broke loose. Figuratively speaking.
Hey Luke, there is free will, only people believe that free will means doing anything you want and that is soooo not the case. In simple terms, free will is this: choosing to listen (follow, whatever verb tickles your fancy) or not to. Case in point, Adam and Eve. God told them not to eat the fruit and they (Eve 1st, then Adam) chose not to listen. Original sin is not free will; it was a result of it, well, making the wrong choice.
Oh, and by the by, the shows creator and writing genius is Barbara Hall. She did many shows, notably Joasn of Arcadia, Judging Amy and others. Her sister, Karen, penned a few MASH episodes. A very talented family and they Catholic converts to boot!
TOTD: God explaining to Joan how to juggle pain, hope,fear,joy....
TOTD:
God - A man had 3 boxes. Each box weighed 5 pounds. The man weighed 190. The bridge could only support 200. How did the man make it across the bridge with all his boxes?
Joan - This is just cruel.
God - How did he get across, Joan?
Joan - (she moves her arms and glowing balls around in the air) He juggles. Yes, ok. I get it. He keeps one box in the air the whole time. Yes, I get it. What are you saying? That--that if I juggled boxes across a bridge I'll see Judith again?
God - Joan, the bridge is life. The boxes hold your feelings-- your love, your joy, your pain, your loss. Everyone is crossing a bridge with more weight than they can bear. So you juggle.
OK, so this totd is about what people have as talents and how some think that these talents are useless. It all depends on how you use them. Take my 'useless' talent for example. I remember basically all my algebra, trig, physics and geometry from high school. I really had to study hard to pass those courses and believe me, they were NOT my favorite ones!
I have selective eidetic memory and recall in detail all these usless subjects (for me) which must've laid dormant and never used, until my kids started going to high school. So now I know why I was given this knowledge, to help them....
TOTD from Joan of Arcadia:
(God is the radio announcer...)
Radio (God) - All righty. Our next caller is joan from arcadia. "hello, joan. Uh, joan?"
Joan - Who, me? [loads of feedback]
Radio [god] - Whoa! Turn down that radio, joan. Ha ha ha ha. Uh, thank you, joan, and thanks for joining us on chat lines. What's your question?
Joan - You'll answer questions?
God(radio) - If I can.
Joan - Well, recently-- just today, in fact, I found out that I had this
incredible talent I never knew I had before.
God - Well, go on.
Joan - Don't get me wrong. I love it. It's just... the wrong talent.
God - Uh, what would be the right talent?
Joan - Um, say... making things better between people I love.
God - What's your question?
Joan - Can I trade?
God - Sometimes one talent is all talents. Everything that rises must converge. You're doing great work, joan. Important work! Be thankful for what you can do. Don't just trade it away. And don't let anyone talk you out of it, no matter how reasonable they sound
Joan - So... no tradesies?
God - Thanks for calling, joan
By the way, Joan's talent was building a boat. It was not the best and was built wrong, but, because it was built so wrong, her brother and her father started to talk to each other again. That was her mission. So , from building a boat, it ended up salvaging her bro's and dad's relationship. Wow...
FRIDAY STORY
The Letters
By Linda Hastings
©2001
"Well, it's confirmed, you're pregnant", the Doctor said. I looked at him as if he were speaking a foreign language. After all, 7 years and 4 months had passed since I had married my high school sweetheart and we were still childless. Oh, we hadn't really 'tried' for me to get pregnant all that time, but the last few years was definitely in the category of 'trying'. We had been taking my temperature, watching the calendar and in a final desperate measure, began infertility treatments and fertility drugs.
I can still hear the advice of so many people in my family and our friends already with children of their own. "Don't try so hard and it will happen". "Relax, you're just too uptight about this". "Quit thinking about it all the time". And my most favorite one of all, "Buy a house, you always get pregnant when you can't afford it". So we bought a house, a new car, a boat, another new house and still we couldn't conceive.
The romance had gone out of our bedroom and our intimacy was now on a schedule that I kept by the bed. Bill was in construction, working out of town during the week and coming home on weekends. When it was "time" he would drive all night to get home. Exhausted and weary, we would follow the instructions of our doctor and he would leave in the wee hours of the morning to make it back to his job site in time.
For the first several months after the doctor confirmed my pregnancy, I refused to believe it was true. With no real symptoms like morning sickness or fatigue I convinced myself that it may not be true and therefore prepared myself for the let down when the truth were known.
One night while visiting my best friend out of town, as I lay perfectly still next to my sleeping husband, I felt this strange sensation – like someone plucking a spring in my tummy. It was then and there that I believed.
Ashley Christine was born that next February at the end of fourteen long and laborious hours. Later that night, Dallas/Fort Worth would be blanked in the biggest snow storm of the present century. I awoke to a wonderland of white – and pink!
The first night when I finally made it home from the hospital and got my daughter, my husband and my mother to sleep, I sat down and I wrote my precious new daughter a letter. I told her of how I had prayed so long and so hard for a child. That I asked God not for a perfect child or even a healthy child, but for a happy, loving and caring child and no matter what he gave me I would be thankful and proud and honored by his 'gift'.
I sealed the letter and placed it in her baby book.
The following year, when she turned one, again I waited until everyone had left the party and my beautiful little one year old slept to again take pen in hand and write to her.
Writing the letters soon became as much a part of having her birthday as making her cake. Each one would chronicle the past year and all the things only a Mother sees and remembers. She was everything I had asked God for, loving, kind and happy.
By the time we celebrated her second birthday, she had already been introduced to her two-week old baby sister, Regina. In keeping with my tradition, year after year, I would sit down alone in the quiet hours following their party and write the girls a letter. Through tears of joy and smiles of pride, I shared my personal feelings and observations with them.
The girls are grown now, Ashley recently graduated from a local University and Gina is in her third year of college as well.
The letters?
On their 16th birthdays, along with the cake and presents and family and friends came one final gift.
Stacked one on top of the other and tied with a dainty pink ribbon were seventeen handwritten letters from Mom.
totd
New Way to Look at Fasting
>
> 1. Fast from anger and hatred.
> Give your family an extra does of love each day.
>
> 2. Fast from judging others.
> Before making any judgments recall how Jesus overlooks
> our faults.
>
> 3. Fast from discouragement.
> Hold on to Jesus' promise that He has a perfect plan
> for your life.
>
> 4. Fast from complaining.
> When you find yourself about to complain, close your
> eyes and recall some of the little moments of joy
> Jesus has given to you.
>
> 5. Fast from resentment and bitterness.
> Work on forgiving those who may have hurt you.
>
> 6. Fast from spending too much money.
> Try to reduce your spending by ten percent and give to
> the poor or someone in need.
>
totd
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi, quoted in E.F. Schumacher, Small Is Beautiful
Hello!!
TOTD:
Doctor God: I don't punish you, you punish yourselves. You're so good at it I could almost retire.
Joan: Huh, why don't you?
Doctor God: I like my work.
With this kind of wit, how can one NOT love this show!!!
A simple quote, but not so simple if you really think about it. Joan (teen) is asking God about why he is 'secretive'"
TOTD:
Joan: Why are you acting so mysterious all of a sudden?
God: I've always been mysterious. Without it, there is no faith... and we love faith.
And I think that thisis sooooo deep.
This one actually makes sense:
TOTD:
Little Girl God: Everyone has a part of themselves they don't like, Joan. You carry it around like a weight. The lucky ones realize that when it becomes too heavy, you can choose to set it down. That's when you can see things the way they really are.
How many of us actually do that?
OK, this is a good point: Everything,but EVERYTHING on this planet is relevant, except...:
TOTD:
Balloon Sculptor God: Good is relevant. Beauty's relevant. Everything's relevant. Except for me. I'm absolute.
Joan: I thought that was vodka
Only God is absolute. Even for science junkies like me, even science is relevant, it is not absolute. Thay find quirks and exceptions to theories all the time. Any questions?
Tomorrow my 1st year catechists will be doing their 1st confession. Think of them, they are nervous...
Have a great weekend everyone!
TOTD:
MY FRIDAY STORY
The Seven Wonders of the World
by Author Unknown
Junior high school students in Chicago were studying the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."
The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:
1. to touch...
2. to taste...
3. to see...
4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)
5. to feel...
6. to laugh...
7. and to love.
The room was so quiet; you could have heard a pin drop.
May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them.
Enjoy your gifts!
totd
No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever."
- Francois Mocuriac
totd
Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines. ~Satchel Paige, 1974
So this is what I am trying to explain to a class full of 7 yr. olds every Sunday. Why sickness, why evil?
By the way, they did their 1st confession on Saturday...
TOTD:
Rich Woman God: You're always faced with difficult decisions. I can't make your choices for you - I'm really committed to the free will thing
Joan of Arcadia
Remember in the ol' days back in our teen years at Pius, how insecure we felt about ourselves, our faults,...?
When Joan was in a make-up class (no silly, it's a class that teaches people on how to wear make-up), God was answering her question:
Goth Kid God: Everybody has a best feature, Joan. I saw to that
In this episode of Joan of Arcadia called the Uncertainty Principle (yes Luke, the author and creator, Barbara Hall, is also a science geek...)God speaks to Joan a explains to her that while she did as He asked (to observe a school troublemaker and make friends with him basically), he still ended up in jail. She was upset in that she thought that she failed....Read on and se why she succeeded.
TOTD:
Joan: So what do you want me to fail at this time?
Old Lady God: Now what makes you think you failed? You did exactly what I asked you to do - you observed.
Joan: Hmm! And what good did that do anybody? Ramsey's going to jail, Adam hates me even more...
Old Lady God: Observation is a more powerful force than you could possibly reckon. The invisible, the overlooked, and the unobserved are the most in danger of reaching the end of the spectrum. They lose the last of their light. From there, anything can happen.
Joan: (sighs) Okay. Fine, I observe Ramsey, his life is still ruined.
Old Lady God: His life wasn't the only one at stake.
Joan: What do you mean?
Old Lady God: (starts pointing out different students in the hallway) There's Laura Eason, ninth grader. She plays the flute. She would have been one of the first to go (gunshot sound) coming out of Orchestra at the wrong time. And Andrew Bayer - he would have tried to save his friend Lawrence DiStasi and lost his life (gunshot sound). And Gavin Price (gunshot sound), and three other students in the cafeteria. And Mr. Harvey. And Ms. Schmidt in the library. And finally, Steve Ramsey himself. And for each of these faces Joan, there are twelve more whose lives would have come to an end today - lives altered forever by you. By the simple effect of being present, by entering the light, by joining the dance.
(Joan wipes away a tear)
Good is always worth fighting for:
TOTD:
Goth Kid God: Almost everybody has some light, somewhere. And light is always worth fighting for. (edit) Goth Kid God: "Evil" is not a word to use lightly. It's only the darkest end of a broad spectrum.
Joan: You mean like... light?
Goth Kid God: Exactly like light. Nobody's born in total darkness. Most of you live on the gray end of the spectrum... a lie here, and there. Jealousy. Wrath. But you only get to absolute evil by doing one thing after another until eventually you're transformed. Almost everybody has some light, somewhere. And light is always worth fighting for.
Len and other bloggers,
Len, in response to your last post of this morning, I am compelled to add my 2 cents.
Although God is the ultimate JUDGE, let's think about this:
On which side of the 'spectrum' would you put "liars, cheaters, betrayers & back-stabbers" ???
Society puts a "halo" on these people. Meanwhile, "jealousy" as a result of a loved one's self-indulgences and promiscousness is labelled "evil".
Let's open our eyes, ears and our hearts. Let's STOP, LISTEN & UNDERSTAND the (so-called) "evil" people, so that we can bring REAL "light" in their lives, not just hand them a lightbulb.
Keep up your good work bloggers, you are amazingly inspirational !!
Ahhh, my friend,
Speaking from experience on the "liars, cheaters, betrayers & back-stabbers", on the receiving end of course, they are indeed on the grey side. There is always a little light shed for them. Let us remember to feed the flame, not to extinguish it.
totd
Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. ~Victor Hugo
totd two for the price of one today
The best inheritance you can leave for your children is love, knowledge and happy memories.
author unknown
Sorry folks, I need a break. I will try to get back as soon as I,well, feel like it to be honest with you.
Peace y`all!
LS
totd
My City Of Ruins
There's a blood red circle
On the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church door's thrown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Now the sweet bells of mercy
Drift through the evening trees
Young men on the corner
Like scattered leaves
The boarded up windows
The empty streets
While my brother's down on his knees
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
Come on rise up! Come on rise up!
Come on rise up! Come on rise up!
Come on rise up! Come on rise up!
Come on rise up! Come on rise up!
Now there's tears on the pillow
Darlin' where we slept
And you took my heart when you left
Without your sweet kiss
My soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again?
My city's in ruins
My city's in ruins
Now with these hands
With these hands
With these hands
With these hands
I pray Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the faith, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for your love, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for your love, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the faith, Lord
With these hands
With these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!
totd
Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it. ~Michel de Montaigne
totd
A successful marriage requires falling in love
many times, always with the same person."
-Mignon McLaughlin
totd... i see
Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ~John Ruskin
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True happiness consists not in the multitude of friends, but in their worth and choice."
- Samuel Johnston
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The chief excitement in a woman's life is spotting women who are fatter than she is. ~Helen Rowland
Happy International Womens Day
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What this world needs is a new kind of army - the army of the kind. ~Cleveland Amory
Have a great Week everyone...Be careful ou there
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ºBest Friends Listen to what you dont sayº
- **Samantha Norman**
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We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot. ~Abraham Lincoln
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One of the greatest labor-saving inventions of today is tomorrow. ~Vincent T. Foss
I'm baaaack!
During my one month absence, I was in a position to do a lot of pondering.
Is everything predestined? Can we consciously control the events in our lives? Or is just all random chance? Last month, my beloved computer up and died. The same day I was supposed to bring it in to the shop, someone rang my doorbell as if it were a life and death situation. Even though I buzzed the door downstairs open, no one came in and the bell kept ringing. Frustrated, I started down the stairs and, somewhere along the way, fell down the stairs. In a panic, I grabbed the handrail and heard a crack that vibrated throughout my skull. When I got to the bottom, the door finally opened and the stranger admited that he had rang the wrong apartment. He sorta helped me up (I did most of the work) then trotted up the stairs. My climb took longer and was a lot more painful. The friend that was supposed to drive me to the computer shop ended up driving me to the hospital ER where I spent 9 hours waiting.
Luckily, nothing was broken, but I had pulled the muscles in my neck and was covered with colorful bruises. I had to wear one of those soft braces and take pain killers (totally useless). I couldn't carry the stupid computer and no one was available to take it for me. I decided to do a little experiment on myself; bombard my brain with tv signals for whatever time it took until I got my PC fixed. I had read that lots of tv can do weird things to the brain, and it did. I don't have any empirical data, but I know my IQ when down a few points for awhile. It also dulled my creativity, squashed my interest in everything I liked, and made me guilty of the deadly sin of sloth. I also found out that there are a limited number of positions, and only a few pillow adjustments possible until all possible "comfortable" positions are eliminated. A bunch even worsened my pain for awhile.
Last Monday, I was finally able to bring in this damnable machine and got it back today. I surprised myself (not so hard to do, really) by not hooking up the thing right away. I actually spent two hours in front of the boob tube first before finally realizing what I was doing! When all was working, I got right on and worked on one of my paintings - and it was like riding a bike!
But how would events have been played out if things had been different? What if that idiot hadn't rang my apartment like a madman? What if, in my anger, I had not run down the stairs? What if my friend had arrived earlier as originally planned? There are too many variables involved for my poor little brain. And not all of them were choices.
As for my little experiment, I must admit that I cheated a little. I started playing a chess game with myself during long commercial breaks, and I wrote quite a bit with this blog in mind - so much that I can't decide what to use (one is called "Brain in a Vat" and the other recounts my strange experiences over the last 17 years). And I've decided to go back to watching tv only eight hours a week. Maybe wear sunglasses, too.
I'm glad to see our two muses are still at it. Len, take all the time you need; I think I know just how you feel. And Tony, I'm sure that I'm not the only one to be thankful for your contributions. More lives have been affected my your wise words than you can imagine.
See y'all on the other side ...
-LAF
Len and Luke you guys are the best thing about this blog...i am here to help as much as i can .
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You can clutch the past so tightly to your chest that it leaves your arms too full to embrace the present. ~Jan Glidewell
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A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.
~Irish Blessing
Thanks for that one, Tony. I'd never heard of that one before, which is kinda sad for an Irishman! But it reminded me of one my uncle used to say very often:
May you be five minutes in Heaven
Before the devil knows you're dead.
- Irish blessing
Happy Saint Patrick's Day to y'all, and I hope we all see a little green real soon!
- Luke
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St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time - a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic. ~Adrienne Cook
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If you cannot be a poet, be the poem. ~David Carradine
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If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin. ~Charles Darwin
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Patience is also a form of action. ~Auguste Rodin
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Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. ~Proverbs 15:17
Have a Good Friday Everyone
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Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless. ~Charles M. Crowe
TOTD
Happy Easter Everyone!!
Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness. ~Floyd W. Tomkins
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An optimist is the human personification of spring. ~Susan J. Bissonette
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A dream has power to poison sleep. ~Percy Bysshe Shelley, "Mutability"
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Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind. ~Austin O'Malley
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One can pay back the loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind. ~Malayan Proverb
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Open The Eyes Of My Heart
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
[Chorus]
To see you high and lifted up
Shining in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love
As we sing holy, holy, holy Vs (x2)
[Chorus]
Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
I want to see You Open the eyes of my heart,
Lord Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You I want to see You
[Chorus]
Holy, holy,
holy Holy,
holy,
holy Holy,
holy, holy
I want to see You.
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Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math. ~Author Unknown
"Do or do not. There is no try."
- Yoda, "The Empire Strikes Back"
It's seems this blog has gone down a couple of notches in the respectability department. Many people have contacted me about everyone's favorite TOTD. I figured it would be easier to answer all of your questions right here.
Everyone, including myself, really miss our weavers of wisdom, Len and Tony. Where did they go? Dunno. Me, I figure it has to do with alien abduction. And, no, they didn't give me the usual two weeks notice. Nor were they obliged to give me any warning. Their contribution was purely voluntary, done out of the kindness of their hearts. It's possible that they don't have the time, or the motivation, to contribute any more TOTDs. Although I miss them as much as everyone else does, it's not my duty to force Len and Tony to continue their fine work. The fact is, anyone can contribute anything at anytime, no strings attached. You can continue to give as much as you want and stop any time you want. A lot of the e-mails I got said that their "day was not complete" without the TOTDs. I feel the same way as I came in here and read them every day. I'm not obliged to do anything, and neither are our resident wise men (or is it "wiseguys"?).
If you have anything to say about this or anything else, the "Pius X" section is the place to do it. I encourage everyone to voice your opinions here among your allumni.
Have a great weekend.
-LAF
Luke and others here we go
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Man is harder than iron, stronger than stone and more fragile than a rose. ~Turkish Proverb
Heya, Tony! Nice to see you again. Your contribution is much appreciated by myself and many others.
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Some tortures are physical
And some are mental,
But the one that is both
Is dental.
~Ogden Nash
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Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book
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Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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How beautiful a day can be
When kindness touches it!
~George Elliston
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THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD (PSALM 23)
1. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
To lie in green pastures I go.
He leads me beside the still waters.
He guides me, restoreth my soul.
Though I walk in the vale of death's shadow,
I fear not, with You at my side.
Thy rod and Thy staff, they do comfort me.
Through the veil of death, God is my guide.
2. God prepareth a table before me
in the presence of my deadly foe.
He annointeth my head with fine oil.
My cup, with His love, overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life on this earth.
I will dwell in my Lord's house forevermore:
Death's passage is but my new birth.
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Fall seven times, stand up eight. ~Japanese Proverb
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Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like. ~Author Unknown
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It is not enough for a man to know how to ride; he must know how to fall. ~Mexican Proverb
Well, I am not truly gone folks, thought I do not know what was asking for us.
You see, I lost my job after many years of service when we weer bought out by some yankee firm. Anyway, I needed time to thinks things thru and I still am. So, while I amy not posting totds for awhile, I'll be around, and, for old time's sake:
TOTD:
As simple as it sounds, we all must try to be the best person we can;
by making the best choices;
by making the most of the talents we've been given.
Mary Lou Retton
MY FRIDAY STORY
FLIPPING
By Charles Price
I have always been a fish, when it comes to swimming. I've been swimming since I was two and a half years old. I was fortunate to have a pool in my backyard growing up. My older sister, Veronica, was also a fish. She would get up on the diving board and do double front flips and double back flips with relative ease.
Needless to say I was quite amazed by her acrobatic feet. I really wanted to do a flip badly. Except for some reason I was afraid of our diving board. It took me a few summers to get over that one.
Six years later my sister had stopped doing her amazing double flips, but my dream to do a flip still stuck in my mind. I had a constant reminder in my backyard, even during the winter months.
I started becoming very adventurous on the diving board, turning my body in various ways before I hit the water. The sting of the water when you are spinning uncontrollably almost knocked me out on multiple occasions.
I really put my effort into doing flips when I was thirteen years old. I would begin my flip, only to get scared in the middle of it, and have a long fall to land on my back. This was my regular routine for three years. I’d have it and then get scared and hit my back, but I never stopped trying.
I got really good at absorbing the pain of landing on my back or my side. My best friend, Kevin, had gotten the flip down the previous summer. Needless to say I did trust myself. I didn’t truly believe I could do it. Yet no matter the countless tries attempting to fulfill this dream my focus to accomplish it never waned.
One day while watching Kevin flip, it suddenly clicked for me. I lowered my left shoulder and did a very awkward looking flip. I was so ecstatic that I did this odd looking flips over and over again. It was all worth it.
After that I perfected my flip and started doing one and a half flips. I have flipped off of ten-foot roofs (Don’t try this at home kids); thirty-foot cliffs and a forty-five foot cliff.
I tend to forget the accomplishments I’ve done in my childhood because I’ve thought it’s all about growing up. But the dream that kid had still lives inside me. So next time you have a project to do or a dream to accomplish think of all the amazing things you have accomplished before that. Celebrate your victories and go after your dreams. If you have never done your flip in life, all it takes is the dream to do it again one more time.
thank you len ...i am sure things will work out...Hope all is well with you Luke
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What the world really needs is more love and less paper work. ~Pearl Bailey
What? So I took a break and everyone else did at the same time?
Hope all is well. I have been reading off and on Luke so keep at it!!!
OMG!!! There really is someone out there! It's so great to hear from you Len! Seems the whole Pius X gang moved to Facebook. I know you and others are reading and I appreciate that. But half the fun of blogs is reading the reactions of others. Well, I guess I'll just go on imagining those in my head.
- LAF
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