JOY IN THE MORNING FOR LIFE

Energy expo display case - “The sage wears clothes of coarse cloth but carries jewels in his bosom; He knows himself but does not display himself; He loves himself but does not hold himself in high esteem”

Does this sound familiar?

James was cleaning out the attic one day when he came across a ticket from a shoe repair shop. The date stamped on the ticket showed it was over eleven years old. He felt sure the shoes would not still be there, but decided to stop by anyway and check.

He handed the ticket to the man behind the counter, who didn't seem to be surprised at the date. "Just a minute," said the clerk. " I'll have to look for these." He disappeared into a back room.

After a few minutes, the clerk called out, "Here they are!"

"That's terrific!" said James, hardly believing his good fortune.

The man came back to the counter, empty-handed. "They'll be ready Thursday," he said.

We should all be masters of patience; after all, we've had plenty of practice. But waiting for shoes is one thing, waiting to heal from a hurt or waiting for a persistent problem to change can be far more difficult.

James Melvin Washington shared some wisdom about the importance of patience in those tough times of life. He said, "My grandmother used to tell me that every loss is temporary, that every rainy day is temporary, that every hardship is temporary. She used to tell me, 'Son, every goodbye ain't gone. Just hold on - there's joy coming in the morning.'"

Are you holding on? It may seem dark now, but morning is coming.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

ARE YOU READY TO BE SURPRISED IN LIFE?

White talkative parrot - “Much talking is the cause of danger. Silence is the means of avoiding misfortune. The talkative parrot is shut up in a cage. Other birds, without speech, fly freely about.”

Are you ready to be surprised? Life is full of surprises - to those who are aware.

History records amazing coincidences in the lives of two of America's founders - Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. You are aware that Jefferson labored for two weeks writing the Declaration of Independence. He showed his drafts to Adams and Benjamin Franklin, who edited it, honed Jefferson's ideas and refined the document. When it was finally finished, he brought it before the Continental Congress for approval. And America remembers her birth date, of course, as July 4, 1776.

Jefferson and Adams spent the next 50 years debating ideas about how this new nation should govern itself and what it should eventually become. Their administrations argued philosophies and legislation. Sometimes the two men were contentious, but later in life they seemed to develop more of an appreciation for each other. Though they lived far apart, they faithfully corresponded.

Surprisingly (and coincidentally) , they both died the same day! Adams is said to have uttered, just before he died, "Thomas Jefferson survives." He couldn't have known that Jefferson himself died only a few hours earlier.

Do you know what that day was? July 4 - Independence Day. Do you know what year? It was 1826, exactly 50 years from the signing of the Declaration of Independence. And the coincidences don't end there.

Couriers were dispatched with the news of the great men's deaths. From Braintree, Massachusetts the messenger with news about Adams traveled south. Jefferson's messenger came north from Monticello, Virginia. Do you know where they met? In Philadelphia ... under the shadow of the great hall where both men's lives were so dramatically shaped, and where they labored to give birth to a nation.

Coincidence? Perhaps. But historians of the day often attributed these coincidences to providence - as a good omen for a new nation.

Our lives are full of surprises and amazing coincidences, though we may not always take notice. Whether or not we see the hand of providence in coincidence, life teems with the remarkable.

Learn to notice what others do not see, and you can expect to be surprised. Learn to notice what others do not see, and what you see will amaze.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

THE DAY THE TV BROKE IN LIFE

Dried preserved squid for sale - “The trouble about always trying to preserve the health of the body is that it is so difficult to do without destroying the health of the mind.”

Tracy Smith quipped, "I wanted to make it really special on Valentine's Day, so I tied my boyfriend up. And for three solid hours I watched whatever I wanted on TV." Of course we laugh, but do you know that one of the major sources of friction identified by couples is conflict over which television channels to watch?

For years now, watching television has become our universal pastime. We wake up to TV, hurry home so as not to miss our special programs, eat meals around the set and go to bed after our favorite nightly news or comedy show. Television is the babysitter of choice of countless households.

Not that television is bad. Like other forms of communication, including radio and the Internet, it can be both helpful and harmful -- depending on how it is used. And how often. It has been estimated that average Americans will spend eight years of their lives watching television. Laurence J. Peter sums up one of the greatest problems of excessive TV viewing among children: "Television, " he says, "has changed a child from an irresistible force to an immovable object."

Katherine Coroso Jackson, mother of pop star Michael Jackson, explained this about her son: "It all really started when Michael was three or four years old. The TV broke and the kids started dancing and singing to entertain themselves. I convinced their father they were good, and after he listened to them, he agreed with me." The TV broke and, well, you know the rest of the story.

If your TV broke, what might get fixed? Or, put another way, if you turned your television OFF today, what might get turned ON? An interest in a project you've wanted to begin? An new way of relating to those you live with? Community or public service? New friendships or adventures?

The Jackson children changed from immovable objects to an irresistible force the day their TV broke. WHAT might get turned on in you the day your TV is turned off? Want to find out?

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

NO WRONG TIME TO SAY THE RIGHT THING IN LIFE

A crowd of people - “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

A cartoon depicts a woman shaking hands with her clergyman as she leaves the church. The caption says, "Thank you for the sermon. It was like water to a drowning man." Some compliments are better left unsaid....

Isn't it true that words carry with them immense power? Power to build up and power to tear down. Such was the case with the words of Maude, a woman who learned that there is no wrong time to say the right thing.

It was a cold, rainy day in March. Across the room in the millinery department of the store where Maude worked, sat Laura, a woman about Maude's age. Other workers did not like Laura; they thought her to be snobbish and aloof. And Maude agreed.

But sweeping the bias from her eyes, she made up her mind to say something kind to Laura. Finally, she managed, "Do you know, Laura, that I've worked in this room with you for several years. And whenever I glance up I see your head silhouetted against the window there behind you. I think you have the prettiest profile and hair that I have ever seen on anybody." Her words were not insincere flattery. She meant it.

Laura looked up and began to cry. "That's the first kind word anybody has ever said to me in all the years I've worked here," she said.

Maude discovered that Laura's aloofness was not due to snobbishness, but shyness. The two became friends. Other workers soon began to include Laura in their activities, and she blossomed like a flower that, for the first time, found sunlight. The right words, spoken in kindness, changed a life.

Never underestimate the power of your words. There is no wrong time to say the right thing. And there is no better time than now.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

TAKING CONTROL OF STRESS FOR LIFE

Bandage on hand - “That love is reverence, and worship, and glory, and the upward glance. Not a bandage for dirty sores. But they don't know it. Those who speak of love most promiscuously are the ones who've never felt it. They make some sort of feeble stew out of sympathy, compassion, contempt, and general indifference, and they call it love. Once you've felt what it means to love as you and I know it - the total passion for the total height - you are unable of anything else.”

Have you heard about the man who was shopping with his baby boy? The obviously distraught and screaming child sat in the shopping cart.

As the man walked up and down the aisles, he calmly and patiently repeated, "Don't yell, Bobby. Calm down, Bobby. Don't get excited, Bobby."

A woman standing next to him turned and said, "You certainly are to be commended for trying so hard to soothe little Bobby."

The bewildered man looked up and said, "Lady, I'M BOBBY!"

It all gets a little much sometimes. Have you taken inventory of the stress in your life? Stress can come from work. It can come from family. It can come from the places we live and the lifestyles we choose.

In a recent survey, 60 percent of respondents said the city in which they live is noisier now than five years ago. The other 40 percent? They didn't hear the question.

How much stress do you feel? Though not all stress should be avoided, too much pressure can cause lasting harm in practically every area of your life. The solution is to take control.

Robert Reich did just that. As Secretary of Labor in the Clinton cabinet, Robert B. Reich, in an article published in the Op-Ed sections of the New York Times and Washington Post, told of his decision to resign from the stressful job. He said, "I have the best job I've ever had and probably ever will. No topping it." It was true. He seemed to love his job. But he added, "I also have the best family I'll ever have, and I can't get enough of them." And there was the problem -- too much of a good thing. He could not give himself to his family and to this particular career at the same time.

So Reich said, "I had to choose. I told the boss I'll be leaving, and explained why." His boss, of course, was the president of the United States. And the country took notice. Some people were stunned. Here was a high government official who made a decision to step out of an important and powerful position in order to spend the more time at home. He took control.

That is the first step to freeing ourselves from unnecessary stress: take control. Make the tough decision. It may be a decision for less money, a smaller home, a new location, a different job, less
prestige, or a simpler lifestyle. But one thing I believe: it will be a decision you will never regret.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes