KEEPING PACE WITH YOURSELF

Steel containers - “The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time.”

Who is setting your standards for you?

A true story has it that one older man decided to jog around the local high school football field. As he huffed and puffed along, the team was in practice.

The players soon started running sprints up and down the field. The man told himself, "I'll just keep running until they quit." So he ran. And they ran. And he ran some more. And they kept running. And he kept running until he could finally run no more. He stopped in exhaustion. One of the players, equally exhausted, approached him and said, "Boy, I'm glad you finally stopped, Mister. Coach told us we had to keep running wind sprints as long as the old guy was jogging!"

He was watching them. They were watching him. He was letting them set his standard. They allowed him to set theirs.

My question is this: Are you keeping pace with somebody else? Are you allowing other people to set your standards for you? What about your standards, or principles, for moral behavior? Or guidelines for what kind of attitudes you want, or how happy your relationships should be? Do you keep pace with those around you, or do you decide yourself just how you will live your life? The truth is...only you are qualified to determine what your standards will be.

Set your standards too low, and you'll know only discontent. But set high standards and you can live an immeasurably full and worthwhile life. For only when you reach for the best that is within yourself, will you experience great living.

Who is setting your standards?

From Lifesupport.

TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Scenic riverside view - “What makes a river so restful to people is that it doesn't have any doubt - it is sure to get where it is going, and it doesn't want to go anywhere else.”

Keep doing the same thing and you will keep getting the same results.

Two men were avid moose hunters. Every year they chartered a plane to take them to the Canadian back country. This year hunting was especially good and in a few days they each bagged a moose. They radioed for their pilot to come pick them up.

When the plane arrived, the pilot took one look at the animals and told the hunters they could not take such a heavy load along.

"But we spent all week hunting for these moose," they protested. "And besides, the pilot we hired last year wasn't worried about the moose's weight."

After much argument, the pilot finally relented and allowed them to load the moose. The heavy plane was only airborne for a few minutes when it lost altitude and crashed into the side of a mountain.

As the men struggled out of the wreckage, one hunter asked, "Where are we?"

His friend answered, "About a mile farther than we got last year."

Keep doing the same thing and you will keep getting the same results. It is true of flying and it is true of living.

What is not working well for you? A habit you are trying to break? A relationship with a parent or spouse or child or friend? What is a source of on-going frustration? Getting around to that project you keep promising to complete? Never having enough money to pay the bills? Running up against the same old walls at work?

The truth is, if you keep doing the same things you will keep getting the same results. So, if you don't like the way things are turning out, something must change. Are you ready to try something different?

From Lifesupport.

THE FIRST SECRET OF SUCCESS

Vending books - “The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them”

"Success is dependent upon the glands - sweat glands," says motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. Here's a true story about a man who learned that lesson.

Harold was ready to retire. His wife Martha, however, was less enthusiastic. As she explained to a friend, "Harold has never done anything that required physical exertion. He never played golf, mowed the lawn or even washed the windows. When he retires, he will sit in his easy chair and expect me to bring him his food."

But to Martha's surprise, soon after he retired Harold joined a health club. And one night, when he arrived home from exercise class, he announced, "I signed up for the wrestling tournament. I am going to wrestle Friday night."

Martha was shocked. "Please don't do it, Harold," she begged. "You're not in shape. You will be so beat up they will have to carry you home!" However, he couldn't be dissuaded and she told him that if he went through with his "lame idea," she was not going to watch.

She stayed away that Friday evening as Harold wrestled. Then about 10:00 p.m., just as she predicted, two men practically carried Harold home. He lay down on the couch, every muscle strained and bruised. Before she could speak, he sputtered, "Don't say a word, Martha! This is not the worst of it. I won tonight. I have to wrestle again tomorrow night!"

Harold worked hard for his success, but he may not have been ready to succeed! He proved, however, that when you combine sweat with the belief that you can do a certain thing, tremendous results will often follow.

In fact, I believe Harold may have even surprised himself. As Dr. Norman Vincent Peale said, "People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."

Have you discovered that secret?

From Lifesupport.

IT BEGINS WITH A DREAM

Marine ship AVR(Automatic Voltage Regulator) - “Action seems to follow feeling, but really action and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not.”

The agricultural school dean was interviewing a freshman. "Why have you chosen this career?" he asked.

"I dream of making a million dollars in farming, like my father," replied the freshman.

The dean was impressed. "Your father made a million dollars in farming?"

"No," the student said. "But he always dreamed of it."

At least this student has a dream! In fact, anything truly worthy will be accomplished only after it is dreamed. The dream, big and beautiful, comes first. Then the effort begins.

It was put well: "When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live." (Greg Anderson)

Goals that have deep meaning... What are your goals? Are they worthy of your time and talent?

Dreams that need completion... Are you dreaming big enough that your vision may take time to complete? Like newscaster Belva Davis reminds us, "Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream, you can make it so."

And pure love that needs expressing... Are your dreams and goals making you a better, more loving person?

When you're motivated by goals that have deep meaning, dreams that need completion and pure love that needs expressing, then you will know what it is to truly live. And, after all, isn't truly living what you really want?

From Lifesupport.

WHEN EVERYTHING IS A MIRACLE

Butterfly motive decor - “Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you”

Marlin Perkins, long-time host of television's "Wild Kingdom," spent most of his life trying to put people on a first-name basis with animals. His wife Carol wanted to marry him so badly that she never let on that she did not fully share his passion for wildlife.

Soon after their marriage they went to central Africa. She tried valiantly not to complain during the long expedition, but one night she was exhausted. She said she wasn't hungry and just wanted to go to bed. So she undressed and reached for her pillow, when out from underneath crawled a huge lizard that ran up her chest and down her arm.

Carol started to scream and couldn't stop. She was so tired of being brave. Marlin came running, and after he saw that Carol wasn't hurt, he put his arm around her and said, "Honey, think of how lucky you were to see him up close."

I'm with Carol. I would find it difficult to appreciate the experience. But I am enthralled by Marlin's awe and enthusiasm for all things alive. He was able to marvel at the wonder of creatures and never lost his passion for animals. All living things, in their own way, were beautiful and splendid to this irrepressible lover of creation.

You may not choose to share your bed with a lizard, but do you find this world an exciting and wondrous place? Do you marvel at nature's handiwork? Do you want to "see it up close"? Does a spectacular sunset, the smell of seawater, that first spring flower, or the soft fall of snow soothe your soul? In short, are you excited about life and this magnificent world in which we live?

That amazing man Albert Einstein once said, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." But only one is the way of joy.

From Lifesupport.

TELL TIME ON THEIR CLOCK

Huge rock - "Speak when you are angry - and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret."

"Find out what makes them tick, then tell time on their clock." This was one man's solution for getting along well with people. Find out what makes them tick - learn to understand them. Then
tell time on their clock - identify with them and speak their language.

There is an old story which Mark Twain was said to have told first. It is about a Missouri farmer who ran five times for the state legislature without winning. It wasn't because he didn't practice his speeches. He rehearsed his campaign talks every day while milking. He referred to himself as "your humble aspirant." He referred to his audiences as "my enlightened constituents." He talked of "obtaining a mandate" for his "legislative mission."

Then one day even his cow balked at his speeches and kicked him in the teeth. With his front teeth knocked out, the farmer could speak only words of one syllable. The result was he won his next election and kept getting reelected.

However Twain felt about the electorate of his day, the story still sheds light on the importance of "telling time on their clock." A highly educated and eloquent politician may not relate to his/her constituency. Many hard working, plain folk appreciate straight talk in plain language. They distrust those who seem to "put on airs" and feel as if that candidate might just try to "put one over."

However, they can relate to one who speaks their language. This is a person who knows what makes them tick. This is someone who identifies with their plight and lets them know it.

The principle works well for non-politicians, too. If it is important to relate well to others, first learn what makes them tick. How well do you know that teenager in your life (or parent) or that client or even that supervisor? In this global community, how well do you know those of different backgrounds?

Then tell time on their clock. Let them know you understand. Speak their language. You may be amazed at the way others will respond!

From Lifesupport.

SOMETHING TO UNLOCK US

Door lock - “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

I have hear numerous comments like these: "I want my life to matter." "I want to make more of a difference to people." "Life is too short. I may not live a long life, but I do want to look back on a meaningful one." We live in a time when people are seeking more authentic ways to live.

We also live in a time when there is less interest in religion and more in spirituality. Less in denominations and more in global participation. There seems to be a public yearning for lasting answers to the gnawing emptiness so many feel within.

Television, movies and print media are tying into our universal attraction to all things spiritual. And so is the Internet. Just google the word "God." In English you will get several hundred million hits! More people are writing and talking about God than the world's wealthiest, most powerful and most well-known historical personalities. There is a great interest in spirituality, and for many people, a renewed quest for meaning.

In the wonderful Lewis Carroll story of "Alice In Wonderland," one of the characters is a lock. The lock is restless. It is busily hunting for something behind every rock and tree. As Alice watches the lock, her curiosity is aroused and she asks, "What is the matter?"

The lock replies, "I am looking for something to unlock me."

I think that is our quest -- looking for something to unlock us. Something to open us up to passion and purpose for living. We don't want to die before we ever truly LIVE! And we somehow know that our best answers will be spiritual ones; for we're finally unlocked when our hearts have been opened. It's a key...to peace.

From Lifesupport.

FINDING SURPRISES

Blue cone building - “Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true”

Have you noticed how life is full of surprises? A sailor tried to find a new trade route to China and stumbled upon a new (to him) continent. Alexander Fleming inadvertently left a culture dish on a window sill and discovered penicillin. Another scientist discovered saccharin when he noticed a strange, sugary taste in his sandwich.

According to a story from UNCLE JOHN'S ULTIMATE BATHROOM READER (The Bathroom Readers' Institute Bathroom Readers' Press, 1996), in 1989, an unidentified "middle-aged financial analyst from Philadelphia" paid four dollars for a painting at a flea market. He didn't even like the painting -- it was the frame he wanted. So he took the picture apart...and when he did, a copy of the US Declaration of Independence fell out. It was folded up, about the size of a business envelope. He thought it might be an early 19th-century printing and worth keeping as a curiosity.

A few years later, the man showed the print to a friend, who suspected it might be valuable and encouraged him to look into it. He did, and learned that only hours after finishing work on the Declaration in 1776, the Continental Congress had delivered the handwritten draft to a printer with orders to send copies of the Declaration to "the several Assemblies, Conventions & Committees and the Commanding Officers of the Continental troops, that it be proclaimed in each of the United States & at the head of the Army."

This was one of those original copies. No one is sure how many were printed that night; today only 24 survive, and most are in poor condition. But the one in the picture frame was in excellent shape, having spent the better part of two centuries undisturbed. In 1991, it sold at auction for $2.4 million.

Life is full of surprises! But most surprises are not nearly as dramatic as these. The unexpected occurs every day...random kindness from a stranger; a tragic accident is narrowly avoided; sickness unexpectedly healed.

There is a surprise hidden in every day. It may be disguised as a mere coincidence, but those who look will find it.

It's an exciting way to live!

From Lifesupport.

LESSONS FROM THE COURT

Bare server - “When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.”

Life lessons can come from unexpected places.

I have learned much about myself from the game of racquetball. In fact, I have learned a great deal over the years about all aspects life and living on the racquetball court. Here are some of the more important lessons that have come from the court:

1. People play better when they are encouraged. It's true in life, too. People do better when they are encouraged, rather than criticized, condemned and judged.

2. When two or more people occupy a small space, they should learn to share. It goes for planets too.

3. The only way to get better is to practice. And in life, the only way to improve relationships, learn courage or be happy is to practice.

4. Pay attention. Those who lose their focus, lose games. And those people who are too distracted by yesterday or tomorrow will never live today fully and joyously. Focus on the present.

5. There are always people who will do better than you. But your job is not to be the best, it is to do your best.

6. Attitude really is everything. When you believe in your success, visualize it and work toward it, you are more likely to succeed.

7. Losses are lessons. When I lose a game so badly that I am humiliated on the court, I thank my opponent for the free lesson. Failures are not endings; they are valuable opportunities to learn.

8. It isn't over until the last point is scored. Many victories are snatched after one comes back from almost insurmountable odds. So it is with life.

9. Work can be fun, but fun should never become merely work. Life is to be enjoyed.

10. The only way to score is to serve. Individuals and institutions that make a difference find ways to serve others. Additionally, those people who are happiest and most satisfied with their lives have learned to serve. Great lives are built on service.

From Lifesupport.

ARE YOU RENEWING YOUR DREAMS?

Heading out to sea - “Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good.”

"Grandpa," a young girl asked, "were you in the ark with Noah?"

"Certainly not, my dear," Grandpa replied in astonishment.

"Then," the puzzled child continued, "why weren't you drowned?"

Maybe he seemed older than Noah to her, but seniors may be finally getting respect they rightfully deserve. Hugh Downs reported that when senior adults are properly motivated, their intelligence does not wane. In fact, the ability to organize thinking may increase as folks age. Many people in their 50's, 60's and even 70's can go through college with greater efficiency than at 18.

Adults over 70 years of age have contributed richly and in varied ways.

- Emmanuel Kant wrote his finest philosophical works at age 74.
- Verdi at 80 produced "Falstaff" and at 85, "Ave Maria."
- Goethe was 80 when he completed "Faust."
- Tennyson was 80 when he wrote "Crossing the Bar."
- Michelangelo completed his greatest work at 87.
- At 90, Justice Holmes was still writing brilliant American Supreme Court opinions.

And then there's George Dawson. George learned to read at age 98. (He was forced to quit school when he was a small child in order to help support his family.) "I got tired of writing my name with an 'X,'" he said. Four years later, at age 102, he wrote his autobiography, LIFE IS SO GOOD (2001, Penguin Group).

Dreams are renewable. They need not expire like an over-due library book. No matter our age, we can breathe new life into old dreams. I believe that the best age is the age you are, but something even better awaits just ahead for those with the courage to dream and to act.

Are you renewing your dreams?

From Lifesupport.

YOUR GREAT BODY

Serene beach view - “Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things - with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope.”

Did anyone ever tell you that you have a great body?

One man tells of visiting a lumberyard to buy posts for a new hammock. "How long will the posts last once they are sunk in the ground?" he asked the clerk.

"Longer than you will," the sales clerk responded.

Another customer who was standing nearby grinned and asked, "Did it ever occur to you that he might be saying that you're not looking all that well?"

Whether you look or feel all that well, you DO have a great body. Did you know that...

Today --

Your heart will likely beat over 100,000 times?
Your blood will travel about 168,000 miles?
You will breathe about 23,000 times?
You will eat over three pounds of food?
You will drink three pounds of liquids?
You will turn in your sleep 25-30 times?
You may speak about 48,000 words?
You will use some 7,000,000 brain cells?

You see? You have a GREAT body! It is a miraculous machine. It runs on peanuts and even regenerates itself. With good care, your great body can serve you for years to come.

But, it will occasionally get sick or run down. Especially if you neglect it. So it pays to take care of this marvelous machine. Repairs are expensive and used parts are hard to come by.

Today... what will you do for yourself? Will you pick up that exercise regimen you may have put off? Will you choose sensible foods and get enough rest? Will you treat your body as the friend it really is?

Do it today -- for a great future!

From Lifesupport.

THE SIMPLE DIFFERENCE

Heritage building - “A civilization is a heritage of beliefs, customs, and knowledge slowly accumulated in the course of centuries, elements difficult at times to justify by logic, but justifying themselves as paths when they lead somewhere, since they open up for man his inner distance.”

Calvin, of the "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip fame, once imparted some timeless wisdom: "If people sat outside and looked at the stars each night," he observed, "I'll bet they'd live a lot differently. "

I believe he's right. Year by bewildering year, our world grows more complex. We crave peace within our souls. We long for simplicity in lives that too easily become inexplicably tangled in complicated webs.

David enjoyed the simple things of life. He sometimes took jobs at dude ranches, national parks and seasonal resorts. His brother, however, wanted to entice him to get a "real" job and live in a world surrounded by things that only money can buy. David's brother often sent him photos of himself enjoying the so-called "good life." He labeled his snapshots "My new sound system" or "My new car."

But the photos stopped arriving after David responded with a picture of his own. He sent his brother a large poster with a breathtaking view of Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park. On the back was David's message: "My back yard."

I believe I understand how David feels. "The Good Life" is not defined by possessions, but by pure and utter enjoyment of simplicity.

John Burroughs (1837-1921) put it like this: "To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter...to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring -- these are some of the rewards of the simple life."

Those who take time to find pleasure in the ordinary DO live differently. The simple difference is this: because they have learned to live simply, they have learned to live.

From Lifesupport.

FINDING A WAY TO HELP

Emergency fire extinguishers - “Even when poetry has a meaning, as it usually has, it may be inadvisable to draw it out... Perfect understanding will sometimes almost extinguish pleasure.”

A funny story going around concerns itself with two hunters who were out in the woods when one of them collapsed. He didn't seem to be breathing and his eyes were glazed. The other pulled out his phone and called emergency services.

He gasped to the operator: "My friend is dead! What can I do?"

The operator in a calm, soothing voices replied: "Take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead."

There was a silence, then a shot was heard.

Back on the phone, the hunter said, "Ok, now what?"

With friends like that ...

On the other hand, have you ever wanted to help but didn't know what to do?

A friend once told me a beautiful story of how ordinary people found a simple way to help. He was enjoying the scenic view atop Casper Mountain, a favorite spot for visitors to Casper, Wyoming (USA). Even in the summer it is cool on top of the mountain, and on this day he noticed a young woman who apparently had no coat. She shivered as she wrapped her arms around herself.

Then he saw an older man approach the young woman, take off his sweater and place it on her shoulders. The man said, "Here, keep the sweater. The view is even better when you're warm." She smiled her thanks and wrapped the warm garment around her arms as he drove away.

Before the woman left, she spotted a middle-aged woman who was obviously cold and handed her the sweater. "Keep it," she said. "The view is even better when you're warm."

Intrigued, my friend kept his eyes on the sweater. He noticed that before the current owner of the sweater left, she approached a shivering man, gave it to him and said, "Here...keep the sweater. The view is even better when you're warm."

"That happened a couple of years ago," my friend said. "And as far as I know, that sweater is still on top of Casper Mountain, going from one person to another."

Ordinary people ... finding a way to help. Sally Koch said, "Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us daily." Or like somebody else likes to say: "Nobody can help everybody, but everybody can help somebody!"

From Lifesupport.

WAIT TRAINING

White castle on a dark day - “There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.”

Perhaps you can relate. One man was to meet his wife downtown and spend some time shopping with her. He waited patiently for 15 minutes.

Then he waited impatiently for 15 minutes more.

After that, he became angry. Seeing one of those photograph booths nearby (the kind that accepts coins into a slot and takes four shots while you pose on a small bench), he had an idea. He assumed the most ferocious expression he could manage, which wasn't difficult under the circumstances, and in a few moments he was holding four small prints that shocked even him!

He wrote his wife's name on the back of the photographs and handed them to a clerk behind the desk. "If you see a small, dark lady with brown eyes and an apologetic expression, apparently looking for someone, would you please give her this?" he said.

He then returned to his office content that, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then four photos must be a full-blown lecture!

His wife saved those pictures. She carries them in her purse now. Shows them to anyone who asks if she is married...

How are you with patience? One person calls it "wait-training." It seems that there is always something we are waiting for. We wait on traffic and we wait in lines. We wait to hear about a new job. We wait to complete school or to retire. We wait to grow up or for maturity in a child. We wait for a decision to be made. We wait for someone to change his or her mind.

Patience is an essential quality of a happy life. After all, some things are worth waiting for. Every day presents plenty of opportunities for wait training.

We can resent waiting, accept it or even get good at it! But one thing is certain - we cannot avoid it. How is your wait training coming along?

From Lifesupport.

DECISION IS DESTINY

Water fountain plaza - “There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”

Mommy, what happens when a car gets too old and banged up to run?" a little girl asked.

"Well," her mother said, "someone sells it to your father."

I think I have bought a couple of cars like that! Like most people, my life is punctuated by decisions that did not turn out the way I'd hoped. But we cannot always be expected to make the best decisions. Sometimes we simply don't have enough information. And other times, there just isn't a good decision anywhere to be found! All we can really do is make decisions the best way we know how and act on them. Things change only when decisions change.

Before his rise to political fame, Maryland Congressman Kweisi Mfume walked a path of self-destruction. He dropped out of high school. A few years later, he robbed a pedestrian in order to join a street gang. Mfume spent the following years drinking and troublemaking with the gang.

A turning point came one summer night when he abruptly decided he could no longer continue on his present course. He decided to earn his high school equivalency certificate and later graduated magna cum laude from Morgan State University in Baltimore. He then went on to earn a graduate degree at Johns Hopkins University.

When Mfume ran for Congress in 1986, his opponents tried to use his old mistakes against him. But his achievements since he left a troubled past behind captivated an electorate who voted him into office by an overwhelming 87 percent. He was on a collision course with total failure until he made a decision.

What changes your life is not learning more, though education is important. What changes your life is making decisions - the best decisions you can make - and acting on them. It's been accurately said: "Your decisions determine your direction, and your direction determines your destiny." Or put another way, "The decisions you make… make you."

From Lifesupport.

HOW MUCH MUSIC CAN YOU MAKE?

Dark city view - “Don't go for the looks, it can be quite deceiving. Don't go for wealth, even that fades away -- go for someone who makes you smile because only a smile makes a dark day seem bright. Hope you find that person.”

Imagine this. A concert violinist is performing a difficult piece in front of a large audience. Suddenly there is a loud snap that reverberates throughout the auditorium. The audience immediately knows that a string has broken and fully expects the concert to be suspended until another string, or instrument, is brought to the musician.

But instead, the violinist composes herself, closes her eyes and then signals the conductor to begin again. The orchestra resumes where they had left off and now the musician plays the music on three strings. In her mind she works out new fingering to compensate for the missing string. A work that few people can play well on four strings, the violinist with the broken string plays on three.

When she finishes, an awesome silence hangs in the room. And then as one, the crowd rises to their feet and cheers wildly. The violinist smiles and wipes perspiration from her brow. When silence returns to the great room, she explains why she continued to play in spite of a broken string. "You know," she says, still breathless, "sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left." *

We know what she means, don't we? Maybe we've lived most of our lives and we have only a little time left. Can we still make music?

Maybe disease has robbed us of our capacity to work. Can we still make music?

Perhaps a financial loss has left us impoverished. Can we still make music?

Or maybe a meaningful relationship has ended and we feel alone in the world. Can we still make music?

There will come a time when we all experience loss. Like the violinist, will we find the courage to discover just how much music we can still make with what we have left? How much good we can still do? How much joy we can still share? For I'm convinced that the world, more than ever, needs the music only you can make.

And if it takes extra courage to make the music, many will applaud your effort. For some people have lost more than others, and these brave souls inspire the rest of us to greater heights.

Just how much music can you make with what you have left?

From Lifesupport.