LEAFAGE AND ROOTAGE FOR LIFE

Having lunch at a restaurant - “A friend is one who takes you to lunch even if you're not tax deductible”

American President Woodrow Wilson once pointed out that "a man's
rootage is more important than his leafage." What others see are the
leaves, the outside. What they can't see are the roots, the values
and principles that ground a person. A happy and fulfilled life
grows from a good system of roots.

No one believed in the solid "rootage" of President Jimmy Carter
more than his own mother "Miss Lillian," as she was fondly called.
She was aware of her son's reputation for honesty, which had become
a topic of curiosity among many politicians and even reporters.
During a 1986 speech at the University of Tennessee, Jody Powell
told a story about a television reporter who grilled Miss Lillian on
this topic.

"Is it true," asked the reporter, "that your son doesn't lie? Can
you tell me he has never told a lie?"

"Well, I reckon he might have told a little white lie now and then,"
replied Miss Lillian.

The reporter spotted the opening. "I thought you said he didn't
lie!" she exclaimed. "Are you telling me that white lies aren't as
bad as black lies? Just what do you mean by a white lie?"

"Well," drawled Miss Lillian, "do you remember when you came in this
morning and I told you how nice you looked and how glad I was to see
you...?"

Those people who care about strong and principled inner lives leave
an important mark on the world. They actually live from the inside
out. Their inner convictions guide their actions. Their inner
principles govern their lives. It's like roots which are sunk deep
into lasting values and sustain the tree through whatever hard times
may come along.

What does it mean to have good roots? I think it means to be strong
enough and healthy enough to do whatever you truly want to do. It
means to be strong enough, at least most of the time, to give your
best to the world.

I would like to have roots that grow deep and strong. I would like a
system of roots that could give me:

- enough strength to forgive those who hurt me;
- enough confidence to overcome any amount of fear;
- enough courage to accept whatever obstacles life throws my
way;
- enough compassion to love even the unlovable;
- enough faith that nothing can shatter my peace of mind.

If I grow good roots, I don't need to worry about the leafage.

From Lifesupport

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