December 2000
Give me a mind that is not bored,
That does not whimper, whine or sigh
Don't let me worry overmuch
About the fussy thing called I.
Give me a sense of humour Lord, Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some happiness out of life And pass it on to other folk.
November 2000
Like the brightness of the flowers
At the opening of the day,
Let a smile erase the problems
That, at times, come our way.
Like the nodding of the flowers
When the twilight hours fall,
Let a prayer touch evening hours
And bring happiness and peace to all.
October 2000
You are what you do The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread.
Every time you repeat the act you strengthen the strand.
You add to it another filament with each repetition,
until it becomes a great cable and binds you irrevocably to each thought and act.
First you make your habits, and then they make you.
Your thoughts lead you to your purpose.
Your purpose always manifests into action.
Your actions form your habits.
Your habits decide your character,
and your character fixes your destiny.
Your habits are either the best of servants or the worst of masters.
September 2000
Your Hearts Music
It was 1994. Daily, the city of Sarajevo was under siege. Mortars and artillery fire instantly
transformed once beautiful buildings into rubble. Sarajevo's citizens were
frightened, weary and increasingly despondent.
Then, one February day, a mortar shell exploded in the market killing 68 civilians.
Many more were wounded and maimed from the blast.
A celloist with the Sarajevo symphony could no longer stand the killing.
He took his cello to the market, sat down amidst the rubble and played a concert.
When he finished, he simply took up his instrument and left.
Every day, for 67 days, he came to the market. Every day he played
a concert. It was his gift of love to the city.
He did it because he felt his community needed hope.
Hope is music in the heart. It is a gift given to each of us to see us
through the night. Once you have lost hope, you have
nothing left to lose. Utter hopelessness kills everything it touches.
But hope gives us strength to continue, whether it be a
marriage that is worth saving, a life that is worth living or a situation
that is worth salvaging.
In the end, hope is a spiritual thing. When all is in chaos and ruin,
hope is the knowledge that the music still goes on.
In this vast and infinite universe, we are not alone.
During those times when all may seem to be crumbling
down around you, can you hear the music in your heart
......the song of hope?
Listen carefully. It is there, playing for you.
~Steve Goodier ~
August 2000
The Journey
Your road may be hard or easy,
your way may be in darkness or light at any given moment,
your path may be empty or full, but your journey will
always be lit by the light of love.
By Marianne Winser
July 2000
Tolerance
Your greatness
is measured by your 'kindness'
Your education
and intellect by your 'modesty'
Your ignorance
is betrayed by your
'suspicions and prejudices'
Your real
calibre is measured by the
'consideration' and 'tolerance'
you have for others.
~ William J.
H. Boetcker ~
The
Choice Is Always Yours
You don't
have to buy from anyone.
You don't have to work at any particular job.
You don't have to participate in any given relationship.
You can choose.
You hold the tiller.
You steer
the course, you choose in the direction
of where you want to be today, tomorrow,
or in a distant time to come.
You can at any time decide to alter the course of your life.
No one can
take that away from you.
You can decide what you want and go after it at anytime.
It's always your next move.
January
2000
I
love you my brother, whoever you are.
Whether you worship in your church,
kneel in your temple, or pray in your mosque.
You and I are all children of one faith,
for the diverse paths of religion are
fingers
of the loving hand of one Supreme Being,
a hand extended to all, eager to receive all.