MAGIC MOMENT FOR LIFE

Shopping for groceries at the cold storage isle - “Death comes to all, but great achievements build a monument which shall endure until the sun grows cold.”

Something magical once happened in Cinderella's Castle in Florida's
Disney World. Children and parents were crowded into a room waiting
for Cinderella's appearance. She made a dramatic entrance and the
children clamored around her.

Whoever hired the young woman to play the role of Cinderella found a
remarkable match. She was perfect. Flawless skin; beautiful face;
bright eyes and smile; and, she was costumed exquisitely. She looked
as if the cartoon character had come to life.

The children wanted to touch her and have her wave her wand over their
heads. She smiled down at them and the room was electric with
excitement.

Electric for everyone except two boys, apparently brothers, who stood
next to a far wall, away from the other children. The older boy held
the hand of the younger, much smaller boy, whose body and face were
disfigured.

The look in the young boy's eyes was that of yearning. How he wanted
to be with Cinderella. How he wanted to be a part of other children.
But he held back, probably out of fear. He had likely been hurt too
many times before by children who didn't understand.

But unexpectedly, Cinderella turned and saw the boys. And she must
have noticed the longing in the little one's face, for she slowly made
her way through the throng, inching toward the far wall.

Then something magical happened. Cinderella did the most remarkable
thing -- something I'm sure she never learned in Cinderella Training
Class. She bent down and kissed the little boy's face. He smiled a
big and beautiful smile. Cinderella kissed him!

Could anything be so wonderful? Cinderella kissed him. Out of all of
the children in that room, Cinderella kissed him. No matter what
happens to him, he'll always have that -- Cinderella kissed him.

And when he looks into the mirror he will always see the face that
Cinderella kissed looking back. Who knows... for months, for years,
maybe forever stings and barbs of life will hurt a little less. And he
will stand a bit taller and feel a little more special. He'll never
forget that...something magical happened...the day that Cinderella
kissed him.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

WHO OWNS THE BACKYARD FOR LIFE?

Gundam Avalanche Exia and Gundam OO plastic model kits on display - “Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state.”

Vicki Huffman, in PLUS LIVING (Harold Shaw Publishers, 1989),
tells about a man who loved to hunt and bought two pedigreed
setters that he trained to be fine bird dogs. He kept them in a
large, fenced pen in his backyard.

One morning he observed a little bulldog trotting down the alley
behind his home. It saw the two dogs and squeezed under the
fence. The man thought he should perhaps lock up the setters so
they wouldn't hurt the little dog, but changed his mind. Maybe
they would "teach that bulldog a lesson," he reasoned.

As he predicted, fur began to fly, and all of it was bulldog fur.
The feisty intruder soon had enough and squeezed back under the
fence to get away.

To the man's surprise, the visitor returned again the next
morning. He crawled under the fence and once again took on the
tag-team of setters. And like the day before, he soon quit and
squeezed out of the pen.

The incident was repeated the following day, with the same
results.

The man left early the next morning on a business trip
and returned after several weeks. He asked his wife what finally
became of the bulldog.

"You won't believe it," she replied. "At the same time every day
that little dog came to the backyard and fought with our setters.
He never missed a day! It has come to the point now that when our
setters simply hear him snorting down the alley, they start
whining and run down into the basement. Then the little bulldog
struts around our backyard as if he owns it."

That bulldog inspires me when it comes to managing problems. Not that
think I have to fight and impose my will on whatever is in my way. But
I appreciate that little dog's perseverance. He persisted with his
problem until it disappeared.

Dale Carnegie made this observation: "Most of the important
things in the world have been accomplished by people who have
kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." In the
end, it's the persistent bulldog that will own the backyard.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

DREAM SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL FOR LIFE

Jing Jing resting on the floor - “Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.”

A mother of a vivacious five-year-old just returned from a meeting of
the National Organization for Women. Stirred by exciting dreams for
the possibilities of womanhood, she asked her daughter what she wanted
to be when she grew up. Little Lisa quickly answered, "A nurse."

There was a time when nursing was thought of as a woman's profession
and the answer somehow seemed not to satisfy. She had, after all, just
returned from a NOW conference.

"You can be anything you want to be," she reminded her daughter. "You
can be a lawyer, a surgeon, a banker, president of the country - you
can be anything."

"Anything?" Lisa asked.

"Anything!" her mother smiled.

"I know," Lisa said. "I want to be a horse!"

Lisa's dream may need some refinement, but there is plenty of time for
that. When do we quit dreaming about the future? When do we resign
ourselves to simply replaying dreams from the past?

Maybe her dream needs to mature a bit, but would you rather have the
optimism of a five-year-old girl who wants to be a horse, or the
pessimism of an adult who says in despair, "I can't be anything at
all"?

Teddy Roosevelt said, "Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on
the ground." I believe that is the way to make those dreams come true.
It begins with looking up and dreaming something beautiful.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

GREAT HAPPINESS FOR LIFE

Bright yellow flower - “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.”

Not long ago I answered a telephone call from an old friend I'd not
heard from for a long time.

"Hi, Steve," he said. "I just wanted to see how you're getting along."

For whatever reason, our paths had simply not crossed for months. It
was good to talk with him. I wondered why we hadn't kept in touch
better.

Toward the end of the conversation, he said, "If you need me in any
way, I'll be happy to help out." And he meant it!

That call came at just the right time, as they so often do. I needed
those words of encouragement. I hung up the phone feeling a satisfying
lump of warmth in my chest.

And that day I re-learned something important about life: life is
primarily about people -- not plans and schedules, not to-do lists and
a million tasks left undone -- it's about people.

To love and to know that we are loved is the greatest happiness of
existence. And happiness seems to be something that is in short supply
for too many of us! My friend reminded me that it is never enough just
to love; we must also express it. What good are our affectionate
feelings toward others if we don't find ways to let them know?

George William Childs put it like this: "Do not keep the alabaster box
of your love and friendship sealed up until your friends are dead.
Fill their lives with sweetness. Speak approving, cheering words while
their ears can hear them and while their hearts can be thrilled and
made happier. The kind things you mean to say when they are gone, say
before they go."

Happiness ... may be just a phone call away.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

GOD LOVES VARIETY IN LIFE

Wild long green beans - “You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by the way he eats jelly beans.”

I like the story about three ministers and a priest who played golf
together every week. They decided to visit each other's churches. So
the following day, the three ministers showed up at an early morning
mass at their friend's church. There were no empty pews, so they
stood in the back.

When the priest saw them, he whispered to the little acolyte, "Get
three chairs for the Protestants! " The boy looked stunned and sat
down.

The priest pointed in the back to where the clergymen were standing
and repeated, "Get three chairs for the Protestants. " The confused
boy still stared back blankly.

Exasperated, the priest said emphatically, "Please! Get three chairs
for the Protestants! "

The dismayed acolyte stood before the congregation and announced,
"Ladies and gentlemen. This is the first time this has ever been done
in a Catholic church, but let's all stand and give three cheers for
the Protestants! "

Perhaps it's time to give three cheers to those of another faith. And
while we're at it, let's applaud those of other cultures and races,
too! What a beautiful world it is when all are truly part of one
glorious family! And after all, if God doesn't love variety, why is
there so much of it?

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

LOOKING FOR BEAUTY FOR LIFE

Pineapples by the roadside - “Life is a pilgrimage. The wise man does not rest by the roadside inns. He marches direct to the illimitable domain of eternal bliss, his ultimate destination.”

Many people like me feel slightly passed over in a world that seems to place a high value on beauty. But a short poem by Anthony Ewell reminds us that physical attractiveness can be over-rated. He writes:

"As a beauty I am not a great star,
There are others more handsome by far.
But my face, I don't mind it,
For I am behind it,
It's the people in front who get the jar!"

Physically, maybe I'm not the stuff dreams are made of. And maybe, as the poem suggests, it doesn't matter. Because I believe there is another kind of beauty in all of us that can be experienced by anybody who digs a little deeper.

Several times I have visited a natural wonder that is one of the largest and most spectacular of its kind in the world. Carlsbad Caverns is an immense series of limestone caves extending under much of southern New Mexico (USA). Native Americans took refuge in the gaping hole that is the main entrance, but they did not venture far. A hundred years ago settlers in the area were attracted to the opening by the awesome sight of hundreds of thousands of bats swarming from the hole every summer evening. Though a bat guano mining operation was set up, nobody explored much beyond the bat's dwelling places.

Eventually, a cowboy name Jim White explored deeper. He returned with fantastic stories of gigantic subterranean chambers, spectacular cave formations and unbelievably stupendous sights. Even in 1915, after black and white photographs were taken of the caverns, many did not believe. The government sent skeptic Robert Holley to investigate in 1923. He wrote in his final report, "I am wholly conscious of the feebleness of my efforts to convey in words the deep conflicting emotions, the feeling of fear and awe, and the desire for an inspired understanding of the Divine Creator's work which presents to the human eye such a complex aggregate of natural wonders."

A whole new world - majestic, wondrous and awe-inspiring - lay hidden from view. Its unimagined beauty can only be experienced by exploring beneath the surface.

And so it is with people. I have found in people a unique inner beauty that can be discovered by exploring beneath the surface. They may not believe it is there themselves, but that does not mean it doesn't exist.

Those outward looks we're usually so self-conscious about don't matter much. Who people really are may be hidden beneath the outer landscape like a magnificent subterranean palace. And when you care to scratch the surface a bit, you can discover what others have missed.

And you will be rewarded beyond measure.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

REAL LIBERATION FOR LIFE

Exotic tropical jungle fruits - “Later that day I got to thinking about relationships. There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.”

I had a remarkable conversation with a woman about physical
limitations. Nancy was a sufferer of M.S. She could no longer walk and
spent her waking hours in a wheelchair.

"I'm not 'confined' to the wheelchair," she insisted one day. "It
doesn't confine me. It sets me free."

I had never thought of it that way. And I have never referred to
someone in a wheelchair since as being "confined."

She asked me, "Do you want to know my reason for living?" It seemed
like an abrupt change of subject, but I went with it.

"What is it?"

"To liberate people. To set them free."

She must have studied my face and figured I needed more help. "It's
like me...before I got my wheelchair, I had trouble getting around,"
she explained. "Now I can go places. But other people may be trapped
in different ways. So however I can free people, I want to do it."

"People speak of being 'shut in,'" she continued. "People who have
difficulty leaving a room or a house or a bed are not 'shut in.'
They're 'shut out' -- shut out of activities and shut out of people's
lives. So I try to help people find some freedom, however I can."

I wonder how she'd handle my limitations, though. I can get around all
right, but I hold myself back by my thinking. I say, "We'll never do
that!" or "I just don't believe that is possible" and later find that
somebody proved me wrong. It's my beliefs and attitudes that cause
some of my biggest problems. They are as limiting to me as Nancy's
disease is to her.

"Almost everybody walks around with a vast burden of imaginary
limitations inside his head," says author J. H. Brennan. "While the
burden remains, personal success is as difficult to achieve as the
conquest of Everest with a sack of rocks tied to your back."

It IS a burden, isn't it? Like a sack of rocks. Some people carry the
burden that they will never be able to pursue a passion or achieve a
cherished dream. And some tote around the idea that other people can
experience good things of life, or simply be happy, but they never
will. Our thinking itself can be as much a burden as climbing a
mountain with a sack of rocks tied to our backs.

When I feel "confined" by my thinking, I sometimes ponder these words
from Darwin P. Kingsley, past president of New York Life Insurance
Company:

"You have powers you never dreamed of.
You can do things you never thought you could do.
There are no limitations in what you can do except
the limitations of your own mind."

Now THAT sets me free! Free to live. Free to risk. Free to move
forward. Free to be...me.

It's real liberation.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

Squeeky soft toys for sale - “Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.”

A great story comes out of American baseball. Even if you don’t like or understand the game, I think you will enjoy this story.

One night, a Dodgers minor league team coached by legendary Tommy Lasorda was leading a Tucson, Arizona team by one run in the eighth inning, but Tucson had the bases loaded with two outs. According to Don Martin in Team Think (Penguin books, Ltd., 1993), Lasorda decided to pep up his pitcher, a left-hander named Bobby O'Brien.

Lasorda slowly walked out to the mound and said, "Bobby, if the heavens opened up right now and you could hear the voice of the Big Dodger in the sky and he said to you, 'Bobby, you're going to die and come up to heaven, and this is the last batter you're ever going to face,' how would you like the meet the Lord, getting this man out or letting him get a hit from you?"

"I'd want to face him getting this guy out," O'Brien replied.

"That's right," said Lasorda, "you would. Now, how do you know that after you throw the next pitch you're not going to die? This might really be the last hitter you're ever going to face and if it is, you'll want to face the Lord getting him out."

Lasorda figured it was just about the best pep talk ever and he strutted confidently back to the dugout. O'Brien wound up and threw the pitch. The batter lined a base hit to right field, knocking in two runs.

Lasorda was beside himself. "Bobby, what happened?" he asked.

"It's like this, Skip," said O'Brien. "You had me so worried about dying I couldn't concentrate on the batter!"

I know that many people are worried about dying. In fact, they are so concerned about it they can't even enjoy what is right before them. But there are other people who, when they think about their own death and how little time they may have left, actually live more intentionally and more fully.

Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, a long-time student of death and dying, put it like this: "It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, we will then begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had."

It's true; all of us have a limited time here on earth. But we DO have today.

As for me, I just want to live today as fully as possible -- as if there were not going to be many more tomorrows.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

A MONSTER TO HUG IN LIFE

Delicious food for lunch - “There are three types of friends: those like food, without which you can't live; those like medicine, which you need occasionally; and those like an illness, which you never want.”

One couple spent a holiday driving in the mountains. "Every time you
race around one of those narrow curves," exclaimed the wife, "I just
get terrified."

"Then do what I do," suggested her husband. "Close your eyes!"

We are all afraid at times, but closing our eyes may not be the best
way through fear. I've found it better to open my eyes and try to
experience those fears.

You've heard of facing your fears; how about embracing them?

I think one man's experience with fear can help.

In 1972 David Miln Smith had such an opportunity. Smith, an
adventurer, author and professional speaker, decided to spend a night
alone in the famous St. Michael's Cave on the island of Gibraltar as
a test of courage. In his book HUG THAT MONSTER (Andrews and McMeel,
1996), he tells of hearing strange sounds all around him as he lay
there in the pitch-black, damp, deserted cave. Most frightening was
the fact that he came to believe he was not alone!

Fear became panic and he was afraid he was losing his mind. Then
suddenly, as he was approaching his psychological breaking point,
Smith thought to himself, "Whatever the monster looks like, I will
hug it." That simple, almost silly thought brought great relief to
his restless mind. He soon fell into a deep and peaceful sleep until
morning. He learned that embracing his fear, literally or
figuratively, allowed him to subdue it.

We each have our nights of fear, don't we? We all encounter monsters
of some sort. We may fear spiders or insects, heights or crowds,
abandonment or loneliness, the future or death. And most of us are
occasionally visited by shadows of these monsters in the dark of
night.

The next time you're afraid, try "hugging the monster." Face it and
embrace it. It's hard to feel afraid of something you're hugging! And
you just might be surprised at how quickly it slips away and at how
confident you begin to feel.

That beautiful spirit Eleanor Roosevelt said, "You gain strength,
courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look
fear in the face." But after looking it in the face, how about
embracing it? Just imagine yourself putting your arms around whatever
is keeping you awake in the night. Make it your friend. because it
is! Whatever you fear, once faced and embraced, will actually make
you a better person.

Now. do you have a monster to hug?

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

LIVING IN THE SAME BOX FOR LIFE

Colorful pillows - “Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow.”

David Wallechinsky in The Complete Book Of The Olympics (Penguin
Books, 1984) gives us a story that is worth retelling.

It is 1936. American Jesse Owens seems sure to win the long-jump
competition in the Olympic games. The previous year he had jumped 26
feet, 8 1/4 inches - a record that will stand for 25 years.

As he walks to the long-jump pit, however, Owens sees a tall,
blue-eyed, blond German taking practice jumps in the 26-foot range.
Owens feels nervous. He is acutely aware of the Nazis' desire to prove
"Aryan superiority. " And as a black son of a sharecropper, he knows
what it is like to be made to feel inferior.

On his first jump, Owens inadvertently leaps from several inches
beyond the takeoff board. Rattled, he fouls on his second attempt,
too. One more foul and he will be eliminated.

At this point, the tall German introduces himself as Luz Long. "You
should be able to qualify with your eyes closed!" he says to Owens,
referring to his upcoming two jumps.

For the next few moments, the African American and the white Nazi chat
together. Then Long makes a suggestion. Since the qualifying distance
is only 23 feet, 5 1/2 inches, why not make a mark several inches
before the takeoff board and jump from there, just to play it safe?
Owens does and qualifies easily.

In the finals, Owens sets an Olympic record and earns the second of
four gold medals. But who is the first person to congratulate him? Luz
Long - in full view of Adolf Hitler.

Owens never again sees Long, who is later killed in World War II. "You
could melt down all the medals and cups I have," Owens later writes,
"and they wouldn't be a plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt for
Luz Long."

Luz Long made his mark in world history and taught the rest of us a
valuable lesson.

Someone else put it like this: "We can learn a lot from crayons. Some
are sharp... some are pretty... some are dull... some have weird
names... and all are different colors.... But they all have to learn
to live in the same box."

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

BOUND TO FORGIVE IN LIFE

Revoltech Sweet Dreams Pocco Action Figure - “Sometimes the best way to figure out who you are is to get to that place where you don't have to be anything else.”

Writer Norman Cousins said that life is an adventure in forgiveness. I
think Fr. Lawrence Martin Jenco would agree.

In 1984, Fr. Jenco traveled to Beirut, dedicated to help the poorest
of the poor. On January 8, 1985, he was kidnapped by Shiite Muslim
extremists and held hostage for 564 days. He endured imprisonment,
beatings, illness and heartbreaking periods of sorrow and loneliness.
Several years after his release, he wrote a book (BOUND TO FORGIVE,
Ave Maria Press, 1995) about his experiences in captivity and, more
importantly, about the power of love and forgiveness.

Fr. Jenco tells about being taped like a mummy from his ankles to the
top of his head each time he was transported from one place to
another. He described being forced to breathe only from his nose as
his mouth was stuffed with a cloth and taped shut.

He tells of times when his captors said they were going to kill him
and he waited for the bullet to go through his head. Other times he
was dressed up and told he was going home, only to have his spirits
dashed when he was later informed they were teasing.

He remembers being chained hand and foot, donning a plastic bag on his
head, and left in a two-foot by six-foot closet. And he remembers his
stench when he was denied washing for over four months.

He was later asked what lesson those of us who haven't been in such a
position can learn from his experience and apply to our daily living.
He said, "Just look at the madness that goes on in the world today. We
lug our hates and our bigotry and prejudices from generation to
generation and we pass [them] on.... We [must] stop and look at each
other and say, 'I am so sorry for the hurt I caused you. I ask your
forgiveness. ' And then [we must] extend forgiveness and... receive
forgiveness. Somewhere along the line we are going to have to do that.
We're all bound to forgive."

Fr. Jenco has forgiven and can attest to the power of forgiveness. And
though our hurt may not be the same as his, it is no less real. We,
too, are "bound" to forgive. For when we covenant with life to
earnestly forgive whatever hurts come our way, we see amazing results.
We find inner peace and, often, improved physical health as well. As
Dr. O. A. Battista says, "One of the most lasting pleasures you can
experience is the feeling that comes over you when you genuinely
forgive an enemy -- whether he knows it or not."

I've come to realize that genuine forgiveness is crucial if any of us
will find peace. Whether or not it restores a broken relationship, it
sets our own hearts free. Those who will be bound by the promise to
sincerely forgive, will be freed from the bonds of the past. Those are
Fr. Jenco's words: "We're all bound to forgive." And those who are
bound to forgive are bound to be happy.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

GETTING IT RIGHT FOR LIFE

Beautiful flower pot craft products - “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master”

A young boy was sitting in the back seat of the car eating an apple.
He poked his father in the front seat and asked, "Daddy, why does my
apple turn brown?" His father answered, "When the skin is removed
from the apple, air reaches the flesh of the apple and causes
oxidation. This changes the apple's molecular structure and results
in a brownish color.

After a long pause, a small voice from the back seat asked, "Daddy,
are you talking to me?"

I know how that boy feels. Sometimes I want answers to some of those
confusing problems we all run up against. I want someone to explain
how to get through difficult times or tell me what to do in a tough
situation. I just want to get it right.

But I think I identify a bit more with the father whose daughter
asked him if he would help her with some homework.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "It wouldn't be right."

"Well," she said, "at least you could try."

Problem is, I don't always have the answers I need. And nobody else
seems too, either. So I blunder ahead worried that I'll never get it
"right."

But I'm beginning to learn something about not knowing what to do and
making a poor choice. That is -- I don't HAVE TO always get it right.
I don't have to always know what to do all the time. All I really
need to do is try my best, learn from the mistakes and go on.

The affable Dr. Leo Buscaglia once said, "No one gets out of this
world alive, so the time to live, learn, care, share, celebrate, and
love is now." Which is pretty hard to do when you're waiting for the
answers first.

So you got it wrong. You made a mistake. So what? Forgive yourself
and try again. Even if you don't get out of this world alive, you can
get plenty of life out of this world if you're not too worried about
always getting it right.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

THE WAY WE SEE IT IN LIFE

Black laptop computer - “It isn't a matter of black is beautiful as much as it is white is not all that's beautiful”

The eye doctor instructed her patient to read a chart on the wall. He
looked at it and read, "A, B, F, N, L and G."

The doctor turned the light back on and wrote in her notebook.

"How'd I do, Doc?" the patient wondered.

She replied, "Let's put it this way -- they're numbers."

"But Doc," he argued, "this is the way I see it!"

Much of my happiness or unhappiness is a result of my perception.
"This is the way I see it," I tell myself.

I see some problems as challenges that energize me to action and
others as obstacles that stop further progress. It's just the way I
see it.

And sometimes I see new situations as fun, and other times I see them
as fearful.

The busyness of my life can be OK if I see it that way, or it can be
a major source of stress. And an unexpected intrusion in my schedule
can be an irritant or, if I see it that way, possibly the most
important thing I could do that day.

Even an embarrassing mistake can be the beginning of a new learning
or an occasion to berate myself. It's in the way I see it.

One of the greatest blocks to my happiness is forgetting that it is
not always about what is happening to me -- it's more about the way I
see it.

Like Marcel Proust said, "The real voyage of discovery lies not in
seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." It's in the way we
see it.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

WHAT I PRAY FOR IN LIFE

Dell replacement component shipment package - “Creative thinking should be viewed as an essential supplement to, though not a replacement for, critical thinking.”

Many years ago I found a short story about Mahatma Gandhi that I have gone back to several times. It has given me hope and courage. Even if you are not one to pray, I think you will discover that it is useful.

We remember Gandhi as a leader in India's struggle for independence. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that he brought the British Empire to its knees without firing a shot. He was a small man of great courage. His non-violent resistance was fraught with danger and the cause eventually claimed his life.

Gandhi once spoke about the source of his courage. He related a story about an incident that occurred in South Africa. There was a law directed expressly against Indians in South Africa that he had gone there to oppose. His ship was met by a hostile mob that had come with the announced intention of lynching him. Gandhi was advised to stay on board for his own physical safety. But he went ashore nevertheless.

When later asked why he made such a dangerous decision, he explained, "I was stoned and kicked and beaten a good deal; but I had not prayed for safety, but for the courage to face the mob, and that courage came and did not fail me."

I believe he went after the right thing.

Like you, I know what it is to be afraid. I'm afraid of accidental injury, dismemberment or death. I've been afraid of a pending medical diagnosis. There must be a million different faces to the fears of life.

I'm tempted at these times to hope for, and pray for, a way to avoid the danger ahead. I want to be safe, secure and healthy. But none of us is always safe, secure or healthy. So, like Gandhi, I think the best prayer is for courage to face whatever life may bring. And I am convinced that the courage will come and not fail me.

From Lifesupport.

Lifesigns Life Quotes

EVERYTHING COUNTS FOR LIFE

Company staff transport bus - “Transport of the mails, transport of the human voice, transport of flickering pictures-in this century as in others our highest accomplishments still have the single aim of bringing men together.”

Early 20th Century African-American poet Countee Cullen spent the summer of his eighth year in Baltimore, Maryland. Shortly after he arrived he noticed a little white boy staring at him. Countee smiled, but the little boy did not smile back. Instead, he stuck out his tongue and called him a hurtful, racial slur.

Cullen later wrote a poem that included his recollection of the summer when he was eight. In it, he says this:

"I saw the whole of Baltimore
from May until September.
Of everything that happened there
that's all I can remember."

The white child likely soon forgot the episode. And he probably never was aware of the pain he inflicted on the young stranger. But the truth is... everything counts. EVERYTHING. Everything we do and everything we say. Everything helps or hurts; everything adds to or takes away from someone else.

Educator and writer Leo Buscaglia put it like this: "The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no tickertape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our encouragement, who will need our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt."

How truly amazing life can be when we know that... EVERYTHING COUNTS.

From Lifesupport.

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