National Love People Day

Today is National Love People Day.
As defined in its description:

On September 30, National Love People Day asks us

to lift others up through the profound power

of unconditional love.

The human condition is a limiting and varying thing.

How and when and where we get to use it

is vaguely and oddly defined.

What is certain is a rollercoaster-filled life

of celebrations and trials.

National Love People Day tasks us

with an understanding that unconditional love

requires a dedication most human being aren't given.

But, when we wholeheartedly love our neighbors

with steadfast devotion,

the world is a better place.

It is the practical application of

"love your neighbor as yourself."

The word "unconditional" on its own

is quite profound.

Look at its synonyms:

wholehearted, unrestricted, complete, unequivocal.

Those words are dedicated, solid, and unwavering

from their commitment to something.

There are no boundaries or limitations 

with the word "unconditional."

Add the word "love," and the power of the phrase is multiplied.

So, on National Love People Day,

offer kindness and care to the people in your community

and beyond.

It is only fuel

Go ahead.
Underestimate me.
Challenge me.
Tell me I can't.

It is in those very

words and actions

that I find the most motivation.

I have heard

all kinds of negativity.

It is only fuel.

I have seen

all kinds of nastiness.

It is only fuel.

I have felt

all kinds of bitterness.

It is only fuel.

Do not be hushed or quieted,

squelched or subdued,

minimized or marginalized.

Use every bit of it.

It is only fuel.

Your Purpose

As we traverse this big blue marble,
searching for our purpose,
there is a secondary function that we fill ...

You were created

to improve the life of someone else;

somebody needs your smile,

your encouragement,

your support,

your ear,

your hug,

your love,

your gifts.

A Few Good Thoughts

You cannot do much
about the length of your life,
but you can do wonders

about its width and depth.

How beautiful it is

to stay silent

when someone expects you

to be outraged.

The true secret to happiness

lies in taking a genuine interest

in all the tiny details

of daily life.

Go expand your horizons,

control your reactions

and count your every blessing.

Every Single Step

Occasionally, remaining positive becomes difficult.
And still ... I try.

Don't wait

until you reach that goal,

until you get that job,

until you earn that degree,

until you run that marathon,

until you hit that weight,

until you score the shot,

until you write the best seller,

until you catch the big one,

until you become a star,

until you finish what you started;

be proud

of 

Every

Single

Step

along the way!

You are a fighter,

a warrior,

a champion,

a winner.

Worthy of Repeating (if I am)

A quote by John Wesley states:

Do all the good you can,

by all the means you can,

in all the ways you can,

in all the places you can,

at all the times you can,

to all the people you can,

as long as ever you can.

If I have posted this before,

my apologies,

but this is my mantra,

my entire thought process,

my life.

If we all did this ...

wow!

What a difference there would be

in this world.

Think about this ...

Kindness is when
you loan someone your strength

instead of reminding them

of their weakness;

and we each possess the courage

to be the 

happiest

healthiest

kindest

versions of ourselves.

The Moon

And if you are to love,
love as the moon loves;

it does not steal the night -

it only unveils

the beauty of the dark.

I did not write this,

but I do believe

I found it

for a reason.

Judge not

Do not judge others
until you've walked a mile

in their tattered shoes;

until you sat at their

dysfunctional kitchen table;

until you wandered around

in their tsunami of garbled thoughts;

until you stood 

in the path of their troubles;

until you survived

half of what they've gone through.

There is only one judge.

Be so busy working on improving yourself,

that you've no time to judge another.

Your House

Saw this quote ...


The words you speak
become the house you live in.

Simple, right?

Yet so powerful.

Does your walkway entertain every guest?

Do you graciously open the front door,

while locking all the windows?

Do you save the fine china

for 'those that deserve it'?

Is it an open floor plan

or full of secret, dark and hidden spaces?

What you build with your speech

becomes the foundation for your future.

Speak wisely.

Speak kindly.

Build a house that truly is inviting.

One Good Deed

You need not be Mother Teresa.
You need not be one destined for sainthood.
You need not be the poster child for philanthropy.
You simply need to perform
One Good Deed.

One random act of simple kindness.

One selfless bit of beautiful behavior.

One unseen feat of uncomplicated favor.

One positive action without acknowledgement.

One Good Deed.

The repercussions and ripples

create a wave of goodness

the likes of which you may never see,

but may very well be rooted in you.

Be content in that.

Go and do

One Good Deed.

All Of This

Happened upon this
and ...
YES!

Good things happen.

Underdogs win.

Hugs help.

Love is real.

We will be okay.

Raise

A simple, embellished quote
with much power.

Raise your words,

not your voice.

It is rain

that grows the flowers,

not the thunder.

It is selfless action

that serves the need,

not the applause.

It is heroism

that spares the lives,

not the parade.

Choose Happy

By now, most of you know

that I will stand up and fight

most anything that comes my way.

I might cower at first,

I may even cry,

but go ahead ... 

underestimate me ...

that'll be fun.

And even though my cup is full,

it sometimes feels

like I'm drinking from a cheese grater.

And I may seem to be a light,

but my candle has burned so much from both ends,

it's occasionally just a pile of wax.

And to some I may seem awfully strong,

but there are definitely days

when I just want to curl up with my pooch

and remember what unconditional love is.

My point is this:

Positivity may sometimes be fleeting;

Hope can intermittently feel lost;

Stress can occasionally be overwhelming;

but ...

you've always got a choice in your response.

You can choose unity.

You can choose kindness.

You can choose support.

You can choose faith.

You can choose love.

You can choose happy.

Eating Alone

I saw this quote
and was immediately
and deeply struck
by its power
and simplicity:

I know

what I bring

to the table

...

so trust me

when I say

I'm not afraid

to eat alone.

The Dickens You Say

From Chuck:


Have a heart

that never hardens,

and a temper

that never tires,

and a touch

that never hurts.

God Bless America

I will simply reiterate
what I stated elsewhere,

from a plaque I happened upon:

Through blurred eyes

we find the strength and courage

to soar beyond the moment.

We look to the future

knowing we can never forget

the past.

God Bless America!

A note to strike a chord

Coming from a very diverse musical background,
this little ditty truly tops the charts:

Some days

I need the music.

Some days

I need the lyrics.

Best Friends

You got this.
No matter what's in your way,

what you're facing,

why you're down,
you can do this.

You are smarter,
braver,
more resilient,
tougher,

more tenacious,

grittier,

grander,

bolder,

and more amazing

than you understand

and give yourself credit for.

I'm not sure who needs to read this today,

but someone must

because it was on my heart.

I hope you find your inner strength

and become best friends.

A favorite ...

Not sure whose quote this is,
but every time I read it,
I couldn't agree more.

And, perhaps,

it is more prophetic now

more than ever ...

People will love you.

People will hate you.

And none of it

will have anything

to do with you.

A Beautiful Place

A grand quote by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. to start your week (or holiday).

Be soft.

Do not let the world make you hard.

Do not let pain make you hate.

Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness.

Take pride that even though

the rest of the world may disagree,

you still believe it to be

a beautiful place.

A Pair of Ch-Angels

Y'all know I love my Ch-Angels.
Those folks that just do the right thing,

regardless of who's watching,

to make the world a little bit better.

I have been blessed with a special pair

of these beautifully cherished Ch-Angels.

Ch-Angel Lenny and Ch-Angel Conrad.

I tumbled into these two over 40 years ago.

Occasionally crass, I find that to be

one of their most endearing qualities.

They have never been anything but 

loving, kind, giving, supportive, caring,

thoughtful, generous, inviting, welcoming,

inclusive, inspirational, motivational, 

guiding, accepting, sincere and honest

and more.

I wish everyone in the world

had a Ch-Angels like these.

I am abundantly blessed.

Thank you!

Treat Yourself Accordingly

Never
EVER

love anybody

who treats you

like

you're ordinary.

You are

a gift,

unique,

precious

and priceless.

Be treated accordingly.

Treat yourself accordingly.

Be That Guy

Be the reason
someone feels

welcomed,

seen

heard,

supported,

valued,

understood,

included,

worthy,

wonderful,

and loved.

Be the reason

someone smiles.

Be That Guy!

A Little Irish For Ya

Today,
a little light
a little love

a little hope.

May you always be blessed

with walls for the wind,

a roof for the rain,

warmth by the fire.

Laughter to cheer you,

those you love near you,

and all that your heart might desire.

Shh! Listen ...

More times than not, we spend our time

shouting our feelings and screaming our emotions.

While this, momentarily, may release the anger,

after a while, the effect is lost and falls on deaf ears.

I was watching a program on the Shoah Foundation,

(very interesting if you'd like to research it),

in which Holocaust survivors are interviewed

and recorded to become interactive voices from the past.

Two statements that really hit home -

specifically in today's world -

were these:

Question:  What would you like to say to any Nazi's or war criminals?

Answer:  I would like to absolve them and forgive them.

Question:  Do you hate the Nazi's and their families?

Answer:  Most of the Nazi's are dead. What am I going to do -

hate their children and grandchildren? They didn't do anything.

Both had been back to their internment camps.

I believe both had lost their entire families to those camps.

The past is not always beautiful,

but that doesn't mean that we can't be.