FIRE IN THE HEART FOR LIFE

Native traditional wooden mask decor - “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”

The teacher quizzed her class: "He drove straight to his goal. He looked neither to the right nor to the left, but pressed forward, moved by a definite purpose. Neither friend nor foe could delay him, nor turn him from his course. All who crossed his path did so at their own peril. What would you call such a man?"

A student replied, "A truck driver!"

If he is a truck driver, he is likely a successful truck driver, for anyone who pursues a vision with such passion is sure to be a success.

Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel got it right when he said:

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference."

Nothing will kill a dream or douse the fire of a good idea more quickly than indifference. To whatever endeavor you commit yourself, be on guard primarily against that spirit-quenching attitude of apathy.

At what do you wish to succeed? A project? A job? A relationship? A personal mission? A financial goal? A life purpose? "Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something," says Mary Lou Retton. "It's our goal in life to find it and keep it lit."

In order to succeed greatly, one must care greatly. For indifference is no match against a well-attended fire in the heart.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

BRING YOUR UMBRELLA FOR LIFE

Nana the cat towel wrapped nice and cozy - “A photograph never grows old. You and I change, people change all through the months and years, but a photograph always remains the same. How nice to look at a photograph of mother or father taken many years ago. You see them as you remember them. But as people live on, they change completely. That is why I think a photograph can be kind.”

One summer, a drought threatened the crop in a small town. On a hot and dry Sunday, the village parson told his congregation, "There isn't anything that will save us except to pray for rain. Go home, pray, believe, and come back next Sunday ready to thank God for sending rain."

The people did as they were told and returned to church the following Sunday. But as soon as the parson saw them, he was furious.

"We can't worship today. You do not yet believe," he said.

"But," they protested, "we prayed, and we do believe."

"Believe?" he responded. "Then where are your umbrellas?"

The story applies to all of us. There are those people who leave their umbrellas at home. Throughout their lives, they are merely hoping their wishes and prayers will bear fruit, but they expect little.

Others expect their dreams and desires to come to pass. It is as if they journey through life always prepared for something to happen.

Today, how will you approach that which you are yearning for? Will you expect your prayers and work to bring about hoped-for results? Will you bring your umbrella?

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

AND IT CAME TO PASS IN LIFE

Exotic hornbill decoration - “People in places many of us never heard of, whose names we can't pronounce or even spell, are speaking up for themselves. They speak in languages we once classified as ''exotic'' but whose mastery is now essential for our diplomats and businessmen. But what they say is very much the same the world over. They want a decent standard of living. They want human dignity and a voice in their own futures. They want their children to grow up strong and healthy and free.”

As I stared out the rear window of the bus, I thought, 'What if I die? This may be my last night ever!'

My son suggested we take an all-night bus through the Peruvian Andes down to the coast. I was prepared to be driven over high mountain passes and on winding roads. We live in the Rocky Mountains of western United States. But I was not prepared for roads so narrow that the bus had to stop and let on-coming traffic around; or the high speed at which the bus rounded hairpin curves; or roads that were unpaved for long stretches, no guardrails and almost vertical slopes just inches from our speeding wheels. Nor was I prepared to ride in something that passed anything slower than the speed of sound -- even around blind mountain curves.

I thought that perhaps I could sleep during the trip, but the excitement and anxiety of what reminded me of an amusement park ride kept my heart skipping beats and my eyes wide open. I thought, 'What if I die?' and began to count all the possible ways this bus could slide off the mountainside, not the least of which was the fact that the driver was working a 12-hour shift. What if he became sleepy? My mind was just too filled with "what ifs..." to find rest. I needed an antidote to worry.

Then I remembered five comforting words: "And it came to pass..." Not coincidently, the phrase is found throughout the Bible. It's an intriguing phrase..."and it came to pass." I've never read, "And it came to stay." It's always, "And it came to pass..."

Whenever I have encountered problems over the years, they came to pass. My anxieties and worries always proved to be temporary. In fact, I have forgotten most of the fears that once kept me awake at night. I've learned that most tough times and impossible situations eventually come to pass. And sufficient strength can be found for those few that may linger a while.

Besides, what could I do? The bus would either make it or not. Like New York Yankees outfielder Mickey Rivers once said, "Ain't no sense in worrying about things you got control over, 'cause if you got control over them, ain't no sense worrying. And there ain't no sense worrying about things you got no control over, 'cause if you got no control over them, ain't no sense worrying about them."

So I rested in the peace that, like most of what I worry about, this will come to pass. I began to enjoy the rollicking ride, much like one would enjoy a roller coaster. And before long, the sun rose on a beautiful Peruvian landscape. It was true, I had nothing to worry about. This, too, came to pass.

I suspect the same can be said about that problem that worries you.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

PECKING AWAY IN LIFE

Hand got caught in crocodile skull - “A friend is a hand that is always holding yours, no matter how close or far apart you may be. A friend is someone who is always there and will always, always care. A friend is a feeling of forever in the heart.”

Do you know when to give up and when to keep trying? Former University of Alabama president, Frank Rose, used to tell a favorite story about a time, in the mid-1960s, when evangelist Billy Graham was invited to speak at an event in the university's football stadium. There were 18,000 people in attendance that evening. America's civil rights movement was well underway and the stadium crowd represented one of the largest racially integrated meetings ever held in the state.

As Rev. Graham was giving a message about easing racial tensions, a huge thunderstorm gathered overhead. Suddenly, lightening struck and a ball of fire seemed to emanate from the speaker's microphone and travel down the wire.

Graham immediately sat down. Then he leaned over and spoke to Alabama's legendary football coach, Bear Bryant. "Coach," he said, "you'd have stopped, too, if that lightnin' had hit you like that."

Bear said, "No sir!"

"What do you mean?" asked Graham.

"Well," he said, "if I was down on the one-yard line, I wouldn't have stopped until I scored."

At that, Rev. Graham returned to the microphone and finished his talk.

Safety considerations aside, the story reminds us of one of life's important lessons. In most of what we do, there is a time to stop, but there is also a time to score; a time to pack it in, but also a time to complete the task. The woodpecker owes its success to the fact that it uses its head and keeps pecking away until it finishes the job!

Today, will you quit? Or will you keep pecking away?

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

SUCCEEDING AT "OHANA" IN LIFE

Wooden pathway by the lake - “To begin to think with purpose is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.”

Two men met at a bus stop and struck up a conversation. One of them complained of family problems.

Finally, the other man said, "You think you have family problems? Listen. A few years ago I met a young widow with a grown-up daughter, and we got married. Later my father married my stepdaughter. That made my stepdaughter my stepmother and my father became my stepson. Also, my wife became mother-in-law of her father-in-law.

"Then the daughter of my wife, my stepmother, had a son. This boy was my half-brother because he was my father's son, but he was also the son of my wife's daughter, which made him my wife's grandson. That made me the grandfather of my half-brother.

"This was nothing until my wife and I had a son. Now the half-sister of my son, my stepmother, is also the grandmother. This makes my father the brother-in-law of my child, whose stepsister is my father's wife. I'm my stepmother's brother-in-law, my wife is her own child's aunt, my son is my father's nephew and I'm my own grandfather! And you think you have family problems!"

Sorting out families, however, are usually the least of our problems. We want more from family life than simply knowing who's who.

One of the most common complaints I hear from families is that they are not close. They may be close in proximity, but still not feel close as a family. They may live next door or in the same house, but not feel close emotionally.

Closeness is not about latitude; it's about attitude. We feel close when we feel understood, when we feel loved and when we simply enjoy being together. We may live far apart and still feel close, or we may share a home yet feel distant.

Closeness is a family trait that grows over time. It is planted by love, watered by honest sharing and fed by true listening. It grows slowly and sometimes takes years to mature; but its roots grow deep. It can weather most any storm and sustain a family through the most difficult of times.

I received a letter from a reader in Hawaii. She pointed out that the CEO of one of the island's largest banks was considering a run for governor. Since he was well-liked, he seemed to have a good chance of winning.

But, before filing papers, he changed his mind, stating that he wanted to spend more time with his family. Not that elected officials cannot be family-oriented, but he felt he needed more time at home than the job allowed.

Ronald A. Young, in the Honolulu Advertiser, said this about the candidate's decision: "No matter what you accomplish in the business world or the social world, if you fail 'ohana' [family], then you have not accomplished much. Failure or success does not lie in the material wealth you provide them. It is measured by what of yourself you give to them."

He made a decision to give the best of himself to "ohana." He chose family closeness first, despite pressure to put more time elsewhere. It's likely a decision he'll never regret.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

POWERFUL DREAMS FOR LIFE

Boarding the airplane via the sky bridge - “He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast.”

Are you aware that you will miss about one- third of this coming year? You will "miss" it by sleeping. Researchers tell us that the average person sleeps about one-third of each year - or one-third of a lifetime.

But the experts also tell us that something important happens when we sleep - we dream. Apparently all people dream, even if they don't remember dreaming. And over the next twelve months, most of us will have about a thousand dreams.

Dreaming is important. But equally important are those "dreams" we have for our lives - those plans, hopes and goals we will formulate concerning our relationships, our spiritual growth, self-improvement, our physical health and our world. The dreams, or wishes, we have for our lives are just as necessary as dreaming while we sleep.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale used to tell of a 79-year-young woman who was struck by a hit-and-run driver. She was expected to die from her injuries. When he visited, he found her wrapped in plaster from her hips to her heels. He glanced around the room, cluttered with mementos of a lifetime. He spotted a paisley shawl, a child's drawing of a horse (lavender) and shelves of much loved, much-thumbed books.

One shelf was a row of brand new books - the only new items in the room. They looked as if they had never been touched. Dr. Peale asked her if she cared for poetry. Her answer was a beautiful tribute to hope and dreams: "I love poetry, but I haven't read those yet." Her face lit up. "I'm saving them for my old age."

She did, too. She lived to read those books many times. When she finally died at 91, she was planning a trip to Europe.

Louis Driscoll put it like this: "In your heart keep one still secret spot where dreams may go, and sheltered so, may thrive and grow."

She kept her dreams alive. And they kept her alive.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

LOVED INTO ACTION FOR LIFE

Inflatable playground center - “At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”

Despite his best sales pitch, a life insurance salesman was unable to get a couple to sign up for a policy. "I certainly don't want to frighten you into a decision," he announced, standing up to leave. "Please sleep on it tonight, and if you wake up in the morning, let me know what you think."

People can be motivated by many different means. Fear is commonly used. So is guilt. But many people find that other kinds of motivation are usually more effective in getting more out of those with whom we live and work.

A twelve-year-old girl took her younger brother, who suffered from a mental disability, Christmas shopping. As they went into a department store, the boy accidentally bumped a display, knocking shoes in every direction. A weary and frazzled clerk grabbed the boy by the arm and demanded, "Pick them up."

"No," the boy screamed in defiance.

"Pick them up," the clerk shouted.

"No," the boy shouted back.

His older sister began picking up shoes. The boy started to help.Before long, the boy, his sister and the tired clerk were working together to put the shoes back in order.

When they finished, the girl taught the clerk a profound lesson with these words: "You have to love my brother into doing it."

If you live or work with people, you may benefit from her advice. If you want people to respond to you, try loving them into action. Flies and people prefer honey. When you fill people with what they want, you're likely to get what you want out of them.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

ACT TWO IN LIFE

Vegetables food stall - “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope”

The date is June 24, 1859. Suddenly, there he is, atop a hill overlooking the plain of Solferino. Napoleon's troops prepare for battle with the Austrians below, and Henri Dunant has a box-seat view from his place on the hill.

Trumpets blare, muskets crack and cannons boom. The two armies crash into each other, as Henri looks on, transfixed. He sees the dust rising. He hears the screams of the injured. He watches bleeding, maimed men take their last breaths as he stares in horror at the scene below.

Henri doesn't mean to be there. He is only on a business trip - to speak to Napoleon III about a financial transaction between the Swiss and the French. But he arrived late and now finds himself in a position to witness first-hand the atrocities of war.

What Henri sees from his hill, however, pales in comparison with what he is soon to witness. Entering a small town shortly after the fierce encounter, Henri now observes the battle's refugees. Every building is filled with the mangled, the injured, the dead. Henri, aching with pity, decides to stay in the village three more days to comfort the young soldiers.

He realizes that his life will never be the same again. Driven by a powerful passion to abolish war, Henri Dunant will eventually lose his successful banking career and all his worldly possessions only to die as a virtual unknown in an obscure poorhouse.

But we remember Henri today because he was the first recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (in 1901). We also remember him because of the movement he founded - the Red Cross.

Act One of Henri Dunant's life closed June 24, 1859. Act Two opened immediately and played the remainder of his 81 years.

Many people's lives can be divided into Act One and Act Two. The first performance ends when one decides to ultimately follow a new direction or passion. Henri Dunant's old life, driven by financial success, prestige and power, no longer satisfied. A new Henri Dunant emerged in Act Two; one who was motivated by love, compassion and an overriding commitment to abolish the horrors of war.

For some, Act Two may begin with a conversion, or a turning point. Others speak of a defining moment. However it is understood, the "old self" is laid to rest and a new self is born - one governed by principle, spirit and passion.

You may be ready for Act Two. It may be the next scene of a life that counts.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

GETTING THE ANGER OUT IN LIFE

Clearance sale on shoes - “The true artist has the planet for his pedestal; the adventurer, after years of strife, has nothing broader than his shoes”

I learned that a woman in Arkansas called her local police department. She asked about the penalty for fighting. The sergeant told her that she could be charged with assault and battery. The fine was $100.

"Oh, I want to beat up my sister," she said, "and I wanted to see if I can afford it."

Anger must certainly be expressed, but this woman discovered that there is a price for expressing it inappropriately. Which is why, in the Japanese town of Yamanakako, visitors will pay hefty sums simply for the chance to vent their anger in Yoshie Ogasawara's "Relief Room," the main attraction of her four-story fun house. There, stressed-out business persons, jilted lovers and enraged spouses can smash a large porcelain vase, hurl ceramic ware into a soapstone peach tree from China and break a few ceramic clowns in an attempt to express their pent-up rage. The relief room owes its phenomenal success to our human need to express anger appropriately.

But still the most effective way of dealing with anger is to express it in words. "Talk it out" with the person with whom you are upset. As William Blake wrote:

I was angry with my friend,
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe.
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

Anger must be "told" to be stilled. And if it is not possible to talk directly with the offending person, find a good listener. Sometimes, just "getting it out" is enough.

Further, talk it out soon, since unacknowledged anger is a malignant tumor. "Don't let the sun set on your anger," but rather strive to finally let go of each day's resentment in order to keep a clean slate.

Talking is still the best way to work through life's issues. And besides, this way you get to keep the dishes for company!

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

MOVING OUT OF BAGAMOYO FOR LIFE

Classic authentic collectors' Slyvanian friends figurines - “When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before”

Vincent Donovan (*Christianity Rediscovered*, Orbis, 1982) tells us that cruel slavers would go into the interior of Africa and capture men and women to sell on the slave market. They would march their captives to Zanzibar where the slaves boarded ships bound for the New World. En route, the newly acquired slaves were made to carry their captor's heavy loads. As evening approached on the long marches, the slavers shouted to their captives in Swahili, "Bwaga mizigo," which means, "Put down your burdens."

When the slaves finally reached the coast they laid down those burdens for the last time. There they boarded ships that took them away from their loved ones and their homeland forever. They called that place "Bagamoyo," from the words "bwaga" ("put down") and "moyo" (heart). Bagamoyo translates to "Put down your heart." In hopelessness and despair, they put down their hearts and boarded the slave ships.

We have all been to our own personal places of Bagamoyo -- places of despair. We have each felt like giving up at some time. And some people have felt so desperate they've wondered if they could ever go on.

Survivors learn important coping strategies when they find themselves in places of Bagamoyo. They learn the importance of action, for despair can paralyze. They learn to use their resources, including spiritual resources. And they refuse to believe that things will not change.

Survivors tenaciously cling to the belief that things can be different. They believe they have not reached the end. They believe tomorrow will come, and that their present feelings of hopelessness will eventually pass.

Jean Kerr said, "Hope is the feeling you have, that the feeling you have, isn't permanent." It is what you have when you know that you WILL eventually get through the agony and pain and feel sunshine once again. It does not deny the present darkness, but it reminds you that the dawn is coming.

When you believe in tomorrow, you can pick up your heart today. When you believe in tomorrow, you can move out of Bagamoyo and be happy again.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

AFRAID TO ASK FOR LIFE

Talkative white parrot on a perch - “I have learned silence from the talkative, tolerance from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strangely, I am ungrateful to these teachers”

We used to play spin the bottle when I was a kid," says comedy writer Gene Perret. "A girl would spin the bottle, and if the bottle pointed to you when it stopped, the girl could either kiss you or give you a nickel. By the time I was 14, I owned my own home."

Rejection is hard to take. Especially when it comes from someone you know. Or don't know.

Football coach Bum Phillips once said, "There's only two kinds of coaches -- them that's been fired and them that's about to be fired." Now there is an occupation that is familiar with rejection!

Few things hold people back more than the fear of rejection. They don't ask for what they need because the answer may be no. They don't ask their boss for a raise or for more time off. They don't ask for help from people they do not know well. They are afraid to be the first to say, "I love you." They don't ask for a better deal or a lower interest rate. They don't submit that manuscript to be considered for publishing. In short, they don't let their wants and needs be known, for fear of being turned away.

But the wonderful truth is this: If you can accept NO for an answer, you can ask for anything!" When it is okay to be rejected, you can fearlessly ask for whatever you need.

It is also true that you will not receive if you do not ask. So don't be afraid to ask! All they can say is NO! And you may be surprised at the number of people willing to help. They were waiting to be asked.

What do you need to ask for today?

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

LEARNING TO WAIT IN LIFE

Fresh rice grains - “Many do with opportunities as children do at the seashore; they fill their little hands with sand, and then let the grains fall through, one by one, till all are gone.”

You might remember comedian Yakov Smirnoff. When he first came to the United States from Russia, he was not prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores. He says, "On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk - you just add water and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice - you just add water and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to myself, "What a country!"

We live in a fast-paced world. We drive fast cars. We eat fast food. We live in the fast lane. We want it now.

One old story tells of a judge who was in a benevolent mood as he questioned the prisoner. "What are you charged with?" he asked. "Doing my Christmas shopping early," replied the defendant."

"That's no offense," said the judge. "How early were you doing this shopping?"

"Before the store opened," countered the prisoner.

Few of us will go to those extremes to satisfy our desire to "get it now," but we know what we want and we wish we could have it yesterday. We don't like to wait.

Though there is certainly a place for decisiveness and action, there is also a place for patience. Have you learned when to wait?

Wait for the sunrise...there will be another day.

Wait for guidance...learn to be still.

Wait for wisdom...it will come with experience.

Wait for growth...it happens in the fullness of time.

Wait and be contented...it is a secret to inner peace.

There is a time to act, but there is also a time to wait. Learn how to tell what time it is, for great things can happen for those who learn to wait. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it well: "Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience."

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN LIFE

Temporary makeshift office workstation - “The proper office of a friend is to side with you when you are wrong. Nearly anybody will side with you when you are right.”

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.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

LEAVING YOUR MARK IN LIFE

View at the food court - “When you go into court, you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty”

Did you know...?

That Joan of Arc was only seventeen when she was riding at the head of the army that liberated France from the English?

That John Calvin was twenty-six when he published his "Institutes"?

That John Keats died when he was twenty-six?

That Shelley was thirty when he was drowned, but not before he left English literature his classic "Odes"?

That Sir Isaac Newton had largely discovered the working of the law of gravitation when he was twenty-three?

That Henry Clay, the "great compromiser," was sent to the United States Senate at twenty-nine and was Speaker of the House of Representatives at thirty-four?

That Raphael painted his most important pictures between twenty-five and thirty?

That Mozart only lived thirty-five years?

Of course, most of us will never achieve the prominence of these extraordinary individuals. Nor should we -- we are each cut from a unique pattern. But many people feel as if they should be leaving more of a mark on the world. When I was a young man I wanted to make things happen. After a few years I realized I would have to content myself with watching most things happen. (Now I often find that I have no idea at all what is happening!)

It helps to remember that there is a time for everything -- and everybody. Our time to bear good fruit may be yet to come. In fact, we may do our best work, or find our unique place, later in life.

Colorado aspen trees grow vigorously. After the devastation of a forest fire, frequent occurrences in the Rockies, aspens are sometimes the first trees to return. They re-forest an area quickly, providing shade for slower-growing spruce and pine saplings. These evergreens grow slower, but may live many years longer than the aspens. Each tree grows in its own time.

So does each person. Some people come to fruition quickly, others contribute more significantly in later years.

If you've not yet come into your own, don't worry. Tend to your work and aspirations with care. Don't give up; but rather be patient, for growth can be slow. Remember, storms and disease are devastating, but they can also prune you and make you stronger. With proper nurture, you will in time enjoy a full harvest.

There is a time for everything and everybody. And the time to begin is now.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

YES! YOU CAN BE GREAT IN LIFE!

China street view - “I met in the street a very poor young man who was in love. His hat was old, his coat worn, his cloak was out at the elbows, the water passed through his shoes, - and the stars through his soul.”

A school music teacher received this essay from an eight-year-old student concerning Johann Sebastian Bach: "He was a GREAT composer. He had 20 children and had an old spinster in the attic to practice on."

Now, I don't know the exact number of children he had, as many did not survive. Nor do I know what he kept in the attic. But the question I have is this: do you believe you should be great?

Not all of us can be great at what we do -- music, teaching, research, carpentry, sales, etc., -- but we can all become great individuals. It's about being great at who we are, great as human beings.

Author James Michener learned about the importance of greatness on a stormy night in the South Pacific. His plane was trying desperately to land on the Tontouta airstrip but could not do so. After several attempts in the dark of night, his knuckles were white with fear. When they finally landed safely, Michener went out and walked the length of the airstrip, looking at the dim outlines of the mountains they had so narrowly missed. He wrote this:

"And as I stood there in the darkness I caught a
glimpse of the remaining years of my life and I
swore an oath when peace came, if I survived, I
would live the rest of my years 'as if I were a great
man.' I did not presume to think that I would be a
great man. I have never thought in those terms,
but I could conduct myself as if I were. I would
adhere to my basic principles. I would bear public
testimony to what I believed. I would be a better man.
I would help others. I would truly believe and act as
if all men were my brothers. And I would strive to
make whatever world in which I found myself a
better place. In the darkness a magnificent peace
settled over me, for I saw that I could actually attain
each of those objectives, and I never looked back.

"Two immediate consequences: I started the next
day to draft the book TALES OF THE SOUTH
PACIFIC. And shortly thereafter my entire staff, flying
back to Tontouta, hit one of those shadowy mountains
and all were killed. I'd had cause to be white-knuckled." *

Do you believe you should be great? If greatness is a life that adheres to basic principles, a life of service to others and one dedicated to the betterment of all, then your answer is simple. We can each be great individuals and, in fact, should strive to be. For greatness comes from a dedication to help, not from mere accomplishment, no matter the magnitude.

Do you believe you should be great? What step will you take today?

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes