Peace

At any given moment,
no matter the turmoil of your situation, day, or life,
you can choose peace.


You can choose inner peace.
You can choose peace between friends.
You can choose peace with your enemies.
You can choose peace for your planet.


It begins with a sincere heart and a single gesture.
One tiny step in the right direction
can alter all the rest of your days.


What path will you choose today?

Long strides

In conjuring up ways to make a big difference,
do not forsake the small, daily opportunities
to aid in some small way which,
over time,
will add up to big differences
we often cannot foresee.


Baby steps bring forth long strides.

The Color 9

Trying to understand the behavior of some folks is like trying to smell the color 9.


People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.


The color 9 is not all it's cracked up to be.
Be kind and happy and honest anyway.
Do good and give your best.

Count

For you SNL-ers, they are the Debbie Downers.
For others, they are the Negative Nellies.
Some folks equate them to Eeyore.
Whatever the title, they are the folks that focus on the bad stuff.
They revel in the repulsive or the revolting.
They thrive on sucking the life and joy from a room and from others.


Count, instead, the blessings you have.
All the green lights on the way to work.
The smell of jasmine right outside your window.
The crisp warmth of the sun on your skin.
Ice cold water on a sweltering summer day.
The joy you feel at the sound of children giggling and playing.
The euphoria of an infant's smile.
Puppy breath.
Holding the hand of the person you love.
Snuggling.
Finishing a crossword puzzle.
A long, lazy walk on a beautiful night.
The morning bird's song.


You don't need to win the lottery to be lucky.
You need only look around you to realize how blessed you are.
Count your blessings.
And, while you're counting, you'll soon forget any negative things exist!


Go ahead . . . count!

Be Nice

You never know what anyone else is facing.
Their troubles could be monumental.
Forgive their actions and be nice.
Someone could have had a seriously bad day.
They could be rushed and frantic.
Forgive their harsh words and be nice.
The bitterness from and belittling by someone
is a sure sign of self-esteem issues.
Forgive them their problems and be nice.


Retaliating, Reacting and Vengeance
never gets you anywhere but in the same boat
with the person who upset you.
Instead . . . be nice.


Until, of course, it's time to NOT be nice.
At that point . . . just breathe and walk away.
Your integrity is far more important
than making your point.


Wave while you walk away.
It's the nice thing to do.

What's in a name?

Names can carry great weight.
It is quite interesting and fun to learn the origins and meanings of your name.


My husband's name means:  Victorious champion of the people
My name means:  Waterfall song
My daughter's name means:  Beautiful or heavenly calm
My son's name means: Merciful son of the conqueror


If you use different pages or methods, you'll find many varieties of meanings.
Do you live up to your name?


Hubby sure is what his name implies.
Me . . . eh? If we're talking loving the outdoors - ok!
My daughter exudes her name.
My son . . . absolutely.


So did we name them right or did they become their name?
What's in a name . . .

YOU

This just seemed to be so very appropriate currently as I'm walking several people through this right now and am able to do so because I believe in it so strongly:


Be who you are and say how you feel.
Those who mind, don't matter,
and those who matter, don't mind.


As I said to these folks, and I've preached to my kids for eons, be YOU!
Don't change yourself to meet the needs of other people.
Be the most spectacular version of you that you can be.
Why be a cheap imitation of someone else?


If you remain constant; steadfast; honest; and true to yourself;
you never have to remember how to behave with whom.
You're just you!


Spectacular, amazing, incredible
YOU!