TOUCH OF WONDER FOR LIFE

Paper models of cars, phones, house, bus and laptop computer - “When you sell a man a book, you don't sell him 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life.”

Two little children, a boy and a girl, walked hand-in-hand to their neighbor's house. Standing on her tiptoes, the little girl was just able to reach the doorbell. A woman greeted them and asked what they wanted. "We're playing house," the little girl answered. "This is my hus­band and I am his wife. May we come in?"

Thoroughly enchanted by the scene con­fronting her, the lady said, "By all means, do come in."

Once inside, she offered the children lem­on­ade and cookies, which they graciously ac­cepted. When a second tall glass of lemonade was offered, the little girl refused by saying: "No thank you. We have to go now. My husband just wet his pants."

I don't want to forget what it is like to be a child. To believe the world is full of magic, wonder and awe. I want to remember to take time for play and, just as important, to feed my imagination. The older I grow, the more it seems that ordinary events are now all too common­place and the extraordi­nary cannot hold my attention for long. I never want to be too old to be "awe-struck" !

Today, I want to rekindle that touch of won­der. It's part of being fully alive!

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

THE REAL YOU IN LIFE

Queuing up for lunch - “Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch.”

One woman describes herself as "Five feet, three inches tall and pleasingly plump." After she had a minor accident, her mother accompanied her to the hospital emergency room. The admitting nurse asked for her height and weight, and she blurted out, "Five-foot- eight, 125 pounds."

The nurse pondered over this information and looked over the patient. Then the woman's mother leaned over to her and gently chided, "Sweetheart, this is not the Internet."

If you could change your appearance in life as easily as you can make one up on the Internet, would you remake yourself? It's tempting to think so. We live in an age when most of us are increasingly dissatisfied with our bodies. We want liposuction, face lifts, tummy tucks, silicon implants and cosmetic surgery - too often for no other reason than to look like someone else!

And don't think I am only talking about women. Men too place great emphasis on their bodies. Studies show that in 1972, one in six men didn't like their appearance; today, almost 50% of men surveyed reported being unhappy with their looks.

Of course, our bodies keep changing. I have less hair on top than twenty years ago. An older man who happens to be bald looked at my head recently and said, "It looks like you go to the same barber as I do."

According to the book THE ADONIS COMPLEX (The Free Press, 2000), more and more men are feeling insecure about their appearance. In 1996, over 700,000 men had some cosmetic surgery - often in an unhealthy attempt to fix a perceived flaw that nobody else noticed. Eating disorders and steroid abuse are common among males.

The book's authors Harrison Pope, Katharine Phillips, and Robert Olivardia did an experiment in which men were asked to take a computer image of an ordinary man and add muscle mass to him until he was the size these men wanted to be. On average, the men packed about 28 more pounds of muscle mass on the computer image; women, on the other hand, only added a negligible amount of muscles to the image to create their ideal guy.

Poet Khalil Gibran said, "Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart." When you and I choose to believe that our most attractive qualities lie within, we can let go of those unrealistic expectations of our bodies.

Let's care for our bodies; we'll keep them for the rest of our lives. Let's be thankful for them and treat them well.

But remember, the real you, the essence of you, cannot be improved by a bottle or a pill or a salon. It is a beautiful and glorious light shining from your heart to the heart of the world. Cherish the real you - it's pretty terrific. And let it shine

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

SOLVING OUR GREATEST PROBLEMS FOR LIFE

Mushroom garden ornaments for sale - “Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.”

We have great problems. Insurmountable problems! But we can solve even our most difficult problems if we work together.

Some of the greatest problems we face today are concerned with the gradual destruction of our environment through over-use and abuse of our resources. Unsightly brown clouds; wildlife extinctions; water that can't be consumed; the disappearance of ancient glaciers. these problems all seem so huge.

So my family does what we can. We take cloth bags to the grocery store instead of using paper or plastic grocery sacks. We buy organic foods when possible. We walk where we don't have to drive. Our home, like many of yours, is filled with compact fluorescent bulbs and we use water saving faucets.

But does it do any good? When I am the only one in line at the grocery store with cloth bags, am I doing any good? Does my walking to the store or shivering under the drizzle of my anemic shower head make any real difference to the world?

I recently learned something about flamingos - which probably behave like many migrating birds. These exquisite birds flock in huge groups of a thousand or more. Every year, when the time comes for migration, a few flamingos start the process by taking off from the lake. But none of the others seem to notice, so the tiny group returns.

However, the next day they try again. This time a few more struggle along with them, but the vast majority still pay no attention, so these pioneers come back.

The trend continues for several more days. Every time a few more birds join in but, since the thousands of others still take no notice, the great migration plan is once more aborted.

Then one day something changes. The same small group of birds once again takes wing and a tiny number more join in, just as before. And this time their total number, though still quite small, is enough to tip the balance. As one, the whole flock takes flight and the migration begins. What a spectacular sight it must be - thousands of flamingos taking to the sky at once!

A few CAN make a difference. It's true that all of the great problems of the world have been solved because of the persistent efforts of a few.

Anthropologist Margaret Mead put it like this: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

If you believe in a cause, don't give up! Others will someday take notice and together we will solve even our greatest problems.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

GLIMPSES OF GREATNESS FOR LIFE

Fake donuts decoration items for sale - “The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made.”

Greatness is too often defined by an unusual act of courage or a life of extraordinary merit or virtue. But glimpses of greatness can be seen all around us, and especially in those who genuinely care for others.

Father Albert Braun was such a man. After his ordination, he requested to live amongst some of the poorest of the world's poor. He was sent to the Mescalero Apache reservation in south central New Mexico (USA). Father Braun learned to love the Apache. And as he lived with them, he learned from them and they learned from him. They became family.

He stayed many years on the reservation but left it twice to serve as a chaplain during both World Wars. He almost died in World War II when his Allied forces tried to defend the Philip-pine Islands from attack. Many of his comrades died during the fighting and Father Braun risked his own life to comfort the wounded and give the dying Last Rites. He was forced to march with no food and little water. Along the way, many more of the men died. And in the prisoner of war camps, more lives yet were lost to disease, cruel physical treatment and malnutrition.

Father Braun had learned much from the Apache about surviving off the land. When he went out on work detail, he found fruit and edible vegetables that he smuggled back into the camp to help supplement the men's diets. Once he acquired the vaccine for diphtheria that he also secreted into camp, but it wasn't enough. They drew lots to determine who would get the medicine. Though afflicted himself, he gave his portion to a young soldier. Before long, he suffered simultaneously from diphtheria, malaria, dysentery and beriberi.

He barely survived the war. Later, he asked to be returned to New Mexico to live once again with the Apache. When he knew that his own death was near, Father Braun requested to be buried on the reservation, surrounded by his Apache "family."

Today, at the church of St. Joseph, one can see portraits of the Apache's greatest chiefs and warriors. There is a portrait of Geronimo, one of Cochise, a picture of Victorio and a portrait of Father Albert Braun, who came to live among them as a true friend.

Father Braun showed a certain greatness, not by any one heroic deed, but by the sum total of a life of caring. I believe we can catch glimpses of greatness in the lives of anybody who genuinely cares.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

PUT YOUR BEHIND IN YOUR PAST FOR LIFE

Sitting in the Mass Rail Transit - “The worst way to miss someone is to have them sitting right next to you and know you can never have them.”

I like what Miguel de Cervantes, the author of DON QUIXOTE, said, "Love not what you are, but what you may become." There is hope that I can always change for the better. I can become more self confident, more in charge of my life, healthier, happier -- you get the idea. And there is hope that I can change a situation -- like finding a new career or going after a new life-style.

If you're like me, making any big changes can be scary. We will have to COMMIT. And we may have to take a risk.

Let me illustrate what I mean:

Consider a performer on a trapeze. She swings back and forth. And then she encounters another trapeze bar. It is swinging toward her and it is empty. Now she has a decision to make. She may continue to hang onto her present bar, or let go and grasp the new one. But she can't do both! She can't hang onto the old and grasp the new with her other hand. She HAS to decide which she wants.

If she chooses to let go of the past and grasp the future, she finds herself suspended for a moment in mid-air. Scary! It's too late to go back and she has not yet latched onto the other bar. She is vulnerable and at risk. But she has decided to take that risk in order to move forward.

Life is like that. Sometimes you have let go of something if you want to latch onto something else. Maybe you will need to let go of an old job in order to take a new one. Or you may have to let go of an old relationship before fitting a new one into your life. You have to let go of other priorities on your time or money before grasping that new opportunity.

And for a while you may feel suspended in mid-air. You've committed to something new and let go of the past, but you have not yet grasped what is ahead. You feel vulnerable and you may be frightened. But you know that the only way you can reach the new "bar" is to let go of the old one.

But like Pumba (from "The Lion King") says, "Ya gotta put your behind in your past." Then you're ready for whatever comes next.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

DOING WHAT WE CAN DO FOR LIFE

TV shelf in the hotel room - “Intellectual property has the shelf life of a banana.”

This world seems to be full of talent. I've never felt as if much of it has come my way, so I appreciate this story.

It is about a wholesaler in New York who sent a letter to the postmaster of a small Midwestern town. He asked for the name of an honest lawyer who would take a collection case against a local debtor who had refused to pay for a shipment of the wholesaler's goods. He got this reply:

Dear Sir:

I am the postmaster of this village and received your letter. I am also an honest lawyer and ordinarily would be pleased to accept a case against a local debtor. In this case, however, I also happen to be the person you sold those crummy goods to. I received your demand to pay and refused to honor it. I am also the banker you sent the draft to draw on the merchant, and I sent that back with a note stating that the merchant had refused to pay. And if I were not, for the time being, substituting for the pastor of our local church, I would tell you just where to stick your claim.

Not many of us are multi-talented. I cannot do all that many things well and most things I cannot do at all. But we all have our gifts.

As talented as the great theoretical physicist was, even Albert Einstein experienced feelings of inadequacy. In 1948 Einstein was offered the first presidency of the new nation of Israel. He turned it down with this statement: "I am deeply moved by the offer from our State of Israel [to serve as President], and at once saddened and ashamed that I cannot accept it. All my life I have dealt with objective matters, hence I lack both the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people and to exercise official functions. For these reasons alone I should be unsuited to fulfill the duties of that high office...." (The Einstein Scrapbook, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002)

Dr. Einstein knew plenty about the nature of the universe, but this wise and insightful man also knew that he lacked the necessary political skill for such a demanding position. Is there really any shame in knowing our limitations? He focused on that which he did well and the world is the better for it.

You may or may not recognize it, but you have the capacity to do some things well. In fact, very well. Few of us will ever be Einsteins, but we can still contribute meaningfully to life. And when we know what it is we can do and decide to do that particular thing, we just might discover we are happy.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

GETTING READY FOR TOMORROW FOR LIFE

Oval shaped antique plates on display - “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”

You heard about the sign posted on a rancher's fence? On the other side of the fence resides the biggest, meanest looking bull you can imagine. The sign is intended to strike fear into the hearts of would-be trespassers. It reads: "Don't attempt to cross this field unless you can do it in 9.9 seconds. The bull can do it in 10 flat!"

Don't try to cross that field unless you are prepared! And isn't that the way it is in life? We have to be ready when the opportunity arises or else we will have little chance of success.

Sixth-grade schoolteacher Ms. Shelton believed in readiness. Students remember how she walked in on the first day of class and began writing words of an eighth-grade caliber on the chalkboard. They quickly protested that the words were not on their level and they couldn't learn them.

Their teacher insisted that the students could and would learn these words. She said that she would never teach down to them. Ms. Shelton ended by saying that one of the students in that classroom could go on to greatness, maybe even be president some day, and she wanted to prepare them for that day.

Ms. Shelton spoke those words many years ago. Little did she know that someday one of her students - Jesse Jackson - would take them seriously ("Leadership, " Summer 1992). She believed that if they were well prepared, they could achieve high goals.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "People only see what they are prepared to see." If that's true, then it is also true that they only become what they are prepared to become. And a lot of life is just about getting ready.

"I want to be doing something more significant with my life than what I am doing now," a young man once said to me. He felt like what he was doing was just not that important. Other people have said things to me such as, "I only wish I had a meaningful relationship. " And, "I'd really like to get a better job, but I just don't see how."

You fill in the blanks. What is it you would like to happen that isn't happening? Perhaps the answer is that you are not yet ready. Maybe you need more time to prepare before you are truly ready for that which you desire.

Think of today as another chance to prepare yourself for that exciting future you are looking for. Today is not wasted. If you desire more from life, then you can use today as training. For you will experience only what you are prepared to experience. Something wonderful can happen. And you can use today to get ready for tomorrow.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

IF LIFE WERE NOT SO BITTER...

Ah Jing the dog sniffing the ground - “Women are like apples on trees, the best ones are on the top of the tree. The men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and don't want to get hurt. Instead, they just get the rotten apples from the ground that aren't so good but easy. So, the apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality they are amazing. They just have to wait for the right man to come along, the one who's brave enough to climb all the way to the top because they value quality.”

File this story under the heading: "If life were not so bitter, revenge would not be sweet."

After seventeen years of marriage, a man dumped his wife for a younger woman. The downtown luxury apartment was in his name and he wanted to remain there with his new love, so he asked his wife to move out and said he would buy her another place. The wife agreed to this, but asked that she be given three days.

The first day she packed her personal belongings into boxes and crates and suitcases. On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things. On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their 3 candlelit dining table, soft music playing in the background, and feasted alone on shrimp and a bottle of Chardonnay.

When she had finished, she went into each room and deposited shrimp leftovers into the hollow of her curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.

Her husband returned with his new girl, and all was bliss for the first few days. Then it started; slowly but surely. Clueless, the man could not explain why the place smelled as it did.

They tried everything. First they cleaned and mopped and aired the place out. That didn't work. Then they checked vents for dead rodents. Still no luck. They steam cleaned the carpets and hung air fresheners. That didn't solve the problem. They hired exterminators; still no good. They ripped out the carpets and replaced them. But the smell lingered.

Finally, they could take it no more and decided to move. The moving company packed everything and moved it all to their new place. Everything. Even the curtain rods.

I like the story because of the humor. But revenge is always a poor option if we want to be healthy and happy.

The problem is... we can't carry a grudge and carry love in our hearts at the same time. We have to give one of them up. It's a choice we make.

Some resentments are large; they've built up over a long time and will not be easy to part with. Some have been fed by years of pain and anger. But all the more reason to give them up.

When we're tired of the anger and resentment and bitterness, we can choose a better way. We can be forever unhappy, or we can be healthy. We're just not made to carry a big grudge and a heart filled with love at the same time.

But I still chuckle at the story.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

A LAW OF SUCCESSFUL LIVING FOR LIFE

Spherical water fountain feature - “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.”

I am impressed by an incident that happened during Ignacy Paderewski's (November 18, 1860 - June 29, 1941) career. The famous Polish pianist agreed to play a concert organized by two Stanford University students working their way through school. Paderewski's manager said they would have to guarantee the artist a fee of $2,000. The boys agreed and eventually the concert was held.

Though the two student promoters worked hard, they took in only $1,600. Discouraged, they told Paderewski of their efforts and handed him the $1,600 with a note promising to pay him the balance of $400. But the artist tore up the note and gave them back the $1,600. "Take your expenses out of this," he said, "give yourselves each 10% of what's left for your work, and let me have the rest."

Years later, Paderewski was faced with feeding the people of his war-ravaged Poland. Amazingly, even before a request was made, thousands of tons of food were sent to Poland by the United States.

Paderewski later traveled to Paris to thank Herbert Hoover, who headed up the US relief effort. "That's all right, Mr. Paderewski," said Hoover, "I knew that the need was great. And besides, though you may not remember it, I was one of two college students whom you generously helped when I was in need."

The story illustrates a law of successful living: sooner or later we will reap what we sow. Paderewski reaped a harvest of kindness he had sown years before. Those who sow love will eventually reap love. Those who sow goodness will reap even more. Those who sow fear and mistrust will reap an unwanted harvest later.

It's a basic law of successful living. And powerful enough to change a life.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

MOMENTS TO REMEMBER FOR LIFE

Fresh and colorful vegetables on sale - “When you have a rainbow deep down in your heart, your smile will shine bright. You know you're a part of that colorful, magical, feeling you'll find, when you have a rainbow inside.”

Have you ever noticed that you do not remember days, you remember moments?

A strange story about immortalizing moments comes from the book SPIRITUAL LITERACY (Touchstone Books) by authors Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. It is about a Brooklyn cigar store manager named Oggie Rand. Oggie has an unusual habit -- at precisely eight o'clock each morning, he photographs the front of the store. Always at exactly the same time and from exactly the same spot. Every morning. Oggie collects his daily snapshots in photograph albums, each labeled by date. He calls his project his "life's work."

One day Oggie showed his albums to a friend. He had not told his friend about his unusual hobby. Flipping the pages of the albums, the man noticed in amazement that the pictures were all the same.

Oggie watched him skim through the pictures and finally replied, "You'll never get it if you don't slow down, my friend. The pictures are all of the same spot, but each one is different from every other one. The differences are in the detail. In the way people's clothes change according to season and weather. In the way the light hits the street. Some days the corner is almost empty. Other times it is filled with people, bikes, cars and trucks. It's just one little part of the world, but things take place there, too, just like everywhere else."

This time Oggie's friend looked more carefully at each picture. No two were alike. Every picture was unique, just as every moment is unique. Through a series of photographs, he became conscious of one of life's great truths -- that each minute that passes is special, even sacred.

I'm reminded of something writer Henry Miller said, "The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself." And those are the moments we'll remember; the ones for which we stopped everything else long enough to pay close attention.

The advice for me is this: to pay as close attention to each moment as I can, as if I were carefully observing a series of snapshots. I would like to take time to study the moments. If I look closely enough, I know I'll see that each is unique. Each is sacred. And each holds a special place in time.

I suspect it will be these moments -- not whole days, weeks, months or years -- that I will finally remember. And much of the happiness and joy I will find in life will be because I took care of the moments.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

SPIRITUAL MEDICATION FOR LIFE

Roasted chicken with prawn crackers - “Goodness comes out of people who bask in the sun, as it does out of a sweet apple roasted before the fire”

Demographic experts tell us that there is a general spiritual awakening among people of various faiths. Some are returning to "organized" religions. Others are seeking spiritual answers along other paths. However it is done, people are realizing the importance of a healthy spiritual dimension to their lives.

One man tells about a time when his wife suffered from a headache. She took medication and lay down, but nothing seemed to help.

Her six-year-old daughter was concerned about her Mommy's health, so the ailing woman asked her if she would like to pray for her. Little Leia said that she would. Leia put her hand on her mother's head and prayed the only prayer she knew: "Lord, thank you for this food..."

I imagine that the words she uses are not important. In fact, I don't know if any words are really adequate to express our deepest spiritual desires. Moreover, what seems most crucial is not so much how "good" we are at praying, but that we simply pause regularly to nurture the souls. Prayer is a dose of spiritual medication that, taken daily, can enhance all of life.

Leonardo da Vinci spent countless hours ruminating upon things of the spirit as he worked on his famous canvas of the Last Supper. He spent so much time meditating in the cloister that some of the monks in the community became concerned. They remonstrated with the artist about his wasting precious time and money. "Why do you spend so much time with us in prayer when you have come here to work?" they wondered.

Leonardo answered, "When I pause the longest, I make the most telling strokes with my brush."

I do not feel I am all that good with prayer, but I am sure I'm not much good without it.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

WHEN OTHERS SUFFER IN LIFE

Promotional anime mascot banner - “There are those of us who are always about to live. We are waiting until things change, until there is more time, until we are less tired, until we get a promotion, until we settle down / until, until, until. It always seems as if there is some major event that must occur in our lives before we begin living.”

People should never have to suffer loss alone. Yet, how do you comfort those who mourn? It is no doubt one of the most important things we can do for one another. And sometimes one of the most difficult.

Experts tell us, among other things, to simply say, "I'm sorry" or "I love you." They warn us against trying explain away the death or loss; against theologizing or philosophizing about it. Often, the less said, the better, so long as you are present, you care and you listen.

American poet Edgar Guest, told of a neighbor by the name of Jim Potter. Mr.Potter ran the drug store in the neighborhood where Edgar Guest lived. Their relationship was cordial, if not deep. Mostly they smiled and exchanged greetings when they happened to see one another.

One tragic night the poet's first-born child died. He felt crushed and overcome with grief. Several days after the death, Guest had reason to go to the drug store run by his neighbor. When he entered, Jim Potter motioned for him to come behind the counter.

"Eddie," he said, "I really can't express to you the great sympathy that I have for you at this time. All I can say is that I am terribly sorry, and if you need for me to do anything, you can count on me."

Many years later Edgar Guest reflected on that encounter. He said, "Just a person across the way -- a passing acquaintance. Jim Potter may have long since forgotten that moment when he extended his hand to me in sympathy, but I shall never forget it -- never in all my life. To me it stands out like the silhouette of a lonely tree against a crimson sunset."

As the poet thought back to that unhappy time, one vivid memory, just a brief encounter, shone brightest against a lifetime of memories. It was a recollection of a moment of genuine comfort from a neighbor. And it meant the world to a grieving father.

Those who comfort others bring no less than a piece of heaven to earth.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

UNSTOPPABLE FOR LIFE

Refurbished equipment shipping box - “Some say opportunity knocks only once, That is not true. Opportunity knocks all the time, but you have to be ready for it. If the chance comes, you must have the equipment to take advantage of it.”

When a group of two hundred executives were asked what makes a person successful, eighty percent listed enthusiasm as the most im­portant quality. More important than skill. More important than training. Even more important than experience.

Before water will produce enough steam to power an engine, it must boil. The steam engine won't move a train an inch until the steam gauge registers 212 degrees. Likewise, the person with­out enthusiasm is trying to move the machinery of life with lukewarm water. Only one thing will happen: that person will stall.

A. B. Zu Tavern asserts that en­thusiasm is electricity in the battery. It's the vigor in the air. It's the warmth in the fire. It's the breath in all things alive. Successful people are enthusi­as­tic about what they do. "Good work is never done in cold blood," he says, "heat is needed to forge any­thing. Every great achievement is the story of a flaming heart."

You may have all of the skill, training and experience you've ever need. Add enthusiasm to those assets and you will be truly unstoppable!

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

CATCHING UP SCRUB SETS IN LIFE

I have a few friends and acquaintances who work in health care and I often wonder about several aspects of their work life. Just the other day, I had lunch with my friend Faris who works as nurse in a private hospital. One of the first thing that piqued my interest was the uniform she was wearing. She told me it was a daily hassle to change into regular clothes before going out for lunch. Hence she just wore one of her medical Scrubs set for the lunch appointment with me.

During lunch I took the opportunity to ask her more about her work life. She told me more about her daily routine at the hospital, working on shifts instead of normal working hours and her feelings of joy and happiness from being able to help others who are in need. I told her I was envious of her high pay which was more than four times than what I was earning on my 9 to 5 office job. She replied that it was the compensation for the long working hours she has to endure.

Eventually the topic of our conversation returned to her medical Scrub Sets. I asked her did she ever get bored wearing the same all white nursing uniform during work. She replied yes but added that things are looking better since newer stylish variations of medical Scrubs are always emerging in the market. I told her to wear different medical Scrub Sets the next time we have lunch together before we parted ways.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

PAINTED WITH A DIFFERENT BRUSH FOR LIFE

Flower motif batik painting - “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”

One man who loved the color yellow had yellow carpet, yellow furniture, yellow drapes, yellow walls and even yellow appliances in his yellow kitchen. He slept in a yellow bed with yellow covers and wore yellow pajamas. He got sick. You guessed it ... yellow jaundice.

He called a doctor who came to his apartment building. The manager told him he'd have no trouble finding the right one. "You just go down the hall and come to a yellow door," he said. "That's the one."

In a few moments the doctor was back. The apartment manager asked, "Were you able to help him?"

The doctor replied, "Help him! I couldn't even FIND him!"

I suppose it's not always a good idea to blend too closely with your surroundings. And that holds true for the way we think and behave, too. We may not always want to be like everyone else around us. I admire those people willing to stand out from the crowd.

People like a Miami mother who came to police and spilled out cash and coins totaling $19.53. Her young son added another 85 cents to the little pile. It turns out that, after two days, they were the only people to return money scooped up from an armored truck that toppled on an overpass and rained more than half a million dollars onto the street below. Police said that witnesses reported seeing rush-hour commuters loading money into their cars and driving off while the armored truck employees lay bleeding. Police had pleaded with residents to return the money, but got nothing but laughter until a mother and a boy came in.

In a world that seemed to think alike, two people had a different idea. They refused to blend in with those around them. It was as if they were painted with a different brush. "I have children and I needed to set a good example," said the mother of six, who could have used a little extra cash to supplement her low retail store wage.

Most people talk about values and what they believe to be right and wrong. But I've noticed that our REAL values can be seen by the way we live. It is the things we do and the choices we make that show what we truly believe.

An 11-year-old boy who turned in 85 cents because he felt "it was wrong for me to keep anything" stood out from the crowd. And a mother who wanted to teach her children to do the right thing set an example they will never forget. Like Ruth E. Renkel says, "Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritances. "

When this Miami mother one day passes away, she will leave her children a rich inheritance. Maybe not a pile of money, but she will leave them an example of a life of integrity and self respect, an example of what it is like to be painted with a different brush. She will leave them something far more important than wealth.

If her children inherit her values, anything else is just money.

Paint them fortunate.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

CREATING MY EXPRESSIONS FOR LIFE

Ceramic plates on display - “Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.”

An old story is resurfacing about a young woman who entered a convent to prepare herself for a life of celibacy and service. The institution was one of a very strict order. Besides other regulations, the convent enforced a requirement of silence - not a word dare be uttered.

Mother Superior explained to the new recruit that this rule of silence was rigid. However, once every five years just two words could be spoken.

At the end of the first five years of service, the young novitiate was called in and instructed that she had earned the privilege of expressing two words. What would they be? Her answer?

"Food rotten!"

Five years later she was again afforded the rare privilege of speaking two more words. What would she say this time?

"Beds hard!"

The third time she was summoned, the woman proclaimed in exasperation, "I quit!"

"Well, good riddance," responded Mother Superior. "All you have ever done since you've been here is to complain!"

It is said that God gives us faces, but we create our own expressions. I will take notice of the expressions I create today.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

I'VE COME TO HELP IN LIFE

Ah Jing the dog feeling hot - “Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.”

You may remember the old Flip Wilson routine when someone asked the comic about his religion. He answered, "I am a Jehovah's Bystander." "A Jehovah's Bystander?" remarked his friend. "I never heard of a Jehovah's Bystander."

Flip said, "Well, they asked me to be a witness, but I didn't want to get involved."

In these troubled times, I think Edmund Burke is right. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil," he says, "is for good men to do nothing."

We can complain about injustices, we can lament the suffering of the world and even feel sorry for the helpless plight of others. Or we can do what we can, even if it's only a little.

Theodore Roosevelt read a book by New York newspaperman Jacob Riis titled HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES. We often think of the "other half" as living in luxury. The other half are those who are powdered and pampered. The rich and famous. Movers and shakers.

But the book did not describe the wealthiest few of society. Instead it described the slums of the city, with all its vice and crime. Families living in poverty and fear - too afraid to leave their homes after dark. The other half, said Riis, were the poor among us.

Theodore Roosevelt was moved to action. He went at once to the newspaper office where the author worked, but Riis was not in. Roosevelt left his card and wrote on it, "Have read your book and have come to help."

He did not say, "Have read your book and have come to discuss." Or, "Have read your book and have come to compliment you on your writing." He said, "Have read your book and have come to help."

"I am only one, but I am still one; I cannot do everything, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." Nineteenth century writer Edward Everett Hale said that.

He speaks to me today.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes