From the Quote of the Week files; September 11, 2006

Remembering September 11, 2001

Shortly after September 11th, I asked Quote of the Week members to share their thoughts, feelings, meaningful quotes or song lyrics as they reflected on the events of that day. Here is what they shared ...
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From Jesse, a Yeat’s poem that he feels has sensitivity to the tragic events of 9/11

The Second Coming

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, T
he blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all convictions,
while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight:
somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs,
while all about it Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again;
but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
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From Ray, a quote from Shakespeare’s Macbeth…

"Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak
Whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break."
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I chose this poem by William Wordsworth that I thought gave a perspective and found helpful...

Splendour in the Grass

What though the radiancewhich was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hourof splendour in the grass of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;

In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death,
In years that bring the philosophic mind.

William Wordsworth
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This Leonard Pitts Column (Miami Herald) sent in by Stephanie and Joe...

THE STEEL IN US

You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold.As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn,and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all thatwe cherish. So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're capable of. You don't know what you just started. But you're about to learn.
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Isabelle emailed the Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity,
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
Taking, as you did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that you will make all things right if I surrender to your will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with you forever in the next.

Reinhold Niebuhr
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Vicki sent this in memory of all those who perished; the passengers and the pilots on the United Air and AA flights, the workers in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and all the innocent bystanders. Our prayers go out to the friends and families of the deceased.

If I knew If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep
If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do
If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will always be another day
to say "I love you," and certainly there's
another chance to say our "Anything I can do?"
But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.
So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?

For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,
That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone,
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear
Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.

Author Unknown
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From Mike comes lyrics from a Phil Ochs song, "Power And The Glory" (1964)

"Here is a land full of power and glory
Beauty that words cannot recall
Oh her power shall rest on the strength of her freedom
Glory shall rest on us all "
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From Jen, a site she found inspiring…
> > >http://people.delphi.com/andybeals/thankyou.htm

Also, Jen closes all of her emails with the following words:..

"Be Nice Nice is Good"
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From Juta came a quote from Goethe...

"Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes."
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Holly felt the following site was heartbreaking and beautiful many photos;
slow to load, but worth the wait:

>http://home.earthlink.net/~hankinhsd/thankyou.htm
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From Christine, a poem by Siegfried Sassoon…

"A Post-Mortem"

Searching for souvenirs among some rubble,
A post-atomic-warfare man observed
That "those who made this little bit of trouble
Got only what they asked for and deserved."
Then, in a kindlier afterthought's release,
He pitied "them that only asked for peace."
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From Ruth…

"All things are connected. We did not weave the web of life; we are but a strand in it. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the people of the earth."

Chief Seattle
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Irene's email message…

loved the choice of wordsworth this week, raoul. you're so right about words failing us, but i've found in the last week that, in fact, words have soothed us, comforted us, rallied us. while we were glued to tv sets, we also read everything we could get our hands on; editorials, reports, testimonies, stories, poems. i have to tried to impress upon my class the importance of the written word and nothing has done more to affirm that than this past week. our family has been fortunate as we have not lost a family member or loved one, but we all suffer and grieve with those who have. i have also been heartened by the positive attitude of my 14 year old freshmen who write about fear but also confidence and hope in the country's future. without hope, we are all lost. love to everyone who receives the quote of the week. i will look for more...irene
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And a final quote by Henry David Thoreau …

"The kindness I have longest remembered has been of this sort, the sort unsaid; so far behind the speaker's lips that almost it already lay in my heart. It did not have far to go to be communicated."
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Also attached is a photograph by Sandy take about a week before September 11, 2001 and a drawing by Gabby, the daughter of Quote of the Week member John.
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, September 4, 2006

Today's quote by Mark Twain is just a reminder as to why this day like no other. Enjoy!
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"This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four."

Mark Twain
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy."

Anonymous
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, August 28, 2006

Today's quote from Eva Pierrakos's Pathwork Lecture No. 190, Experiencing All Feelings. It reminds us (well maybe just me) of the path to take to find strength, joy, love, hope and fulfillment. Enjoy!
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"Through the gateway of feeling your weakness lies your strength;
through the gateway of feeling your pain lies your pleasure and joy;
through the gateway of feeling your fear lies your security and safety;
through the gateway of feeling your loneliness lies your capacity to have fulfillment, love and companionship;
through the gateway of feeling your hate lies your capacity to love;
through the gateway of feeling your hopelessness lies true and justified hope;
through the gateway of accepting the lacks of your childhood lies your fulfillment now.
In giving ourselves permission to feel all of our feelings, we free ourselves from the tyranny of our defenses and
open ourselves to our heart's desires."

Eva Pierrakos
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A link to the lecture...

http://www.pathwork.org/lectures/P190.PDF
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"Let go of your attachment to being right, and suddenly your mind is more open. You're able to benefit from the unique viewpoints of others, without being crippled by your own judgment."

Ralph Marston
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, August 21

Today's quote is an excerpt from Ben Stein's essay Mr. Lonely (see link below to read entire article). Ben Stein is known for his role as the teacher in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, host of the Comedy Central's quiz show “Win Ben Stein’s Money” and as the writer of "Ben Stein's Money." Enjoy!
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"Our lives are measured by what we do for others, not by how much money we make. Spending time with lonely people, military families, widows, widowers, this is a pretty easy way to make a huge difference in a suffering human life. So when you think of your uncle who just lost his aunt, when you think of the woman down the street whose husband was just called up by the Guard and sent to Iraq, don't just think about them: ask them out to dinner. Invite them to a barbecue. Just call them up to gossip.

People are always asking me for stock tips because they think I know something about the market. Usually, I don't. But I do know this. Sharing company with a lonely man or woman or child is about as good an investment in your own net worth as a human being as you can make. Do it"

Ben Stein
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Link to the article ...

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=8441
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

Marcel Proust
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Wishing you a most beautful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, 14 August 2006

What makes you come fully alive? Are you looking to find your passion? Check out today's quote! Enjoy!
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"Do not ask what the world needs. Instead, ask what makes you come alive. Because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.”

Thurmond Whitman
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Hmmm. What makes me come fully alive? Am I doing it? Are you?
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life, happiness, freedom and peace of mind,
are always attained by giving them to someone else."

Peyton Conway March
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files, August 7, 2006

"Meaning is not something you stumble across, like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt. Meaning is something you build into your life. You build it out of your own past, out of your affections and loyalties, out of the experience of humankind aas it is passed on to you, out of your own talent and understanding, out of the things you believe in, out of the things and people you love, out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something. The ingredients are there. You are the only one who can put them together into that unique pattern that will be your life. Let it be a life that has dignity and meaning for you. If it does, then the particular balance of success or failure is of less account."
John W. Gardner
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Who is John W. Gardner? Check out the links and find out...

http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/NEWS/headlines/
obit_gardner.shtml

http://www.pbs.org/johngardner/index.html
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A Recycled Quote of the Week...

"I don't necessarily want to be happy; I just want to stop feeling miserable."

Anonymous
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, July 31, 2006

The "Happiness Manifiesto" is the Quote of the Week. It was developed by a group of economists and psychologists in order to increase the happiness level of the townspeople of the UK town of Slough. I liked the concept so I thought I would share it with you. I might even give this a try myself! Enjoy!
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The Happiness Manifesto

1. Get physical. Engage in half an hour of exercise three times a week
2. Count your blessings. At the end of each day, reflect on at least five things you are grateful for.
3. Talk time. Have an hour-long - uninterrupted - conversation with your partner or closest friend each week.
4. Plant something. Even if it's a window box or pot. And, you must keep it alive!
5. Cut your TV viewing by half.
6. Smile at and/or say hello to someone you don't know. At least once each day.
7. Phone a friend. Make contact with a friend or relation you have not talked to for a while and arrange to meet up.
8. Have a good laugh at least once a day.
9. Every day make sure you give yourself a treat. Take time to really enjoy this.
10. Daily kindness. Do an extra good turn for someone each day.
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

Grab your coat and get your hat, leave your worry at the doorstep
Just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street

Can't you hear that pitter pat and that happy tune is your step
Life can be so sweet on the sunny side of the street

Jimmy McHugh
From the Show: Lew Leslie's International Revue (1930)
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, July 24, 2006

My search for a quote this week bought me to Dawna Markova Website and her poem. I am not sure if what she suggests is possible. but I am also not sure if there is any other option. What do you think?
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I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhabit my days,
To allow my living to open me,
To make me less afraid,
More accessible.

To loosen my heart until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
To live so that which came to me as seed
goes on to the next as blossom
And that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.

Dawna Markova
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A link to her site...

http://www.dawnamarkova.com/
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A Recycled Quote of the Week...

"He only is advancing in life,
whose heart is getting softer,
whose blood is warmer,
whose brain quicker,
whose spirit is entering into Living peace.
And the men who have this life in them
are the true lords or kings of the earth
they, and they only."

John Ruskin
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, July 17, 20006

Welcome to the Quote of the Week!
Your weekly source for nurturing your mind, body & spirit.
Today's Theme....

Being vs Doing. Enjoy!
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On March 11, 2002, the Quote of the Week featured 4 quotes. They were…

"To do is to be." ~ Socrates
"To be is to do." ~ Plato
"The way to do is to be." ~ Lao-Tzu
"Do be do be do, do do do do be, do be do be do" ~ Sinatra

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These quotes had as a general theme, doing. But after reading a post on a blog titled Third Age by Doug Manning, it occurred to me that these quotes (especially Sinatra’s) really have to do with being and not doing. What is the difference? Here is a excerpt from his post…

"Being and doing - these are the two domains of human existence. A person’s
‘being’ is their boundless, timeless natural self. Their ‘doing’ is the
expression of that nature within form (activities) and time. Being is our
‘identity’. Doing is our ‘career’. When we are most healthy and vital, we
connect identity with career - who we are with what we do. Conversely, those
with careers completely disconnected from their natural self eventually
experience ill-health and exhaustion. Clearly, being and doing are equally
important for creating and maintaining a fulfilling and meaningful
existence."

The article encourages the creation of a To Be list (as opposed to a To do list)...

"At the end of the week, the person would look back and see how much of their
‘To Be List’ had actually happened. The unique difference for the ‘To Be
List’ is the focus is not on planned activities set in time and space.
Rather, the person is focused on being, discovering and/or developing who
they are."

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I have To Do list but now I have to work on my To Be list. To be or not To be ~ I quess that is the question. What will your To-Be list look like?
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Link to Third Age blog…

http://blog.thirdage.com/?p=539
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And now the Quote of the Week...

"Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to
overlook the greatness of little things in others."

Kakuzo Okakura ; The Book of Tea

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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files, July 10, 2006

Welcome to the Quote of the Week! Your weekly source for nurturing your mind, body & spirit.

We have 3 quotes today and they come under the general theme of ... "We'll get whatever we need to handle whatever life demands of us." Enjoy!
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"We have what we seek. It is there all the time, and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us."

Thomas Merton
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"Truth is not introduced into the individual from without, but was within him all the time."

Soren Kierkegaard
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"We all carry it within us: supreme strength, the fullness of wisdom, unquenchable joy. It is never thwarted, and cannot be destroyed."

Huston Smith
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A Recylced Quote of the Week Classic...

"Gratitude is the sign of noble souls."

Aesop Fables
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Forza Italia!

Congratulations to our Italian members (especially those in Italy) of the Quote of the Week for their team winning the World Cup 2006 !
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week file, July 3rd

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Go vernment, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

The Preamble to the Declaration of Independence
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The United States celebrates its Independence Day tomorrow, July 4 and it is a holiday celebrating the adoption of our Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. According to John Adams, one of our founding fathers, the holiday would be ...

"the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of
deliverance. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows,
games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this
continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

So here in America, tomorrow (for me it is tonight) we spend time with family and friends to celebrate the history of America and the reasons for celebrating our Independence Day! Enjoy!

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Link to The Declaration of Independence...

http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html

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Thinking the best for all!

From the Quote of the Week Files, June 26, 2006

"PORN" was the suggestion of a participant on how to maintain resiliency during a Developing Personal Resilience course that I was facilitating. Noticing the panic on my face, this participant assured me that this was just an acronym that served as a helpful reminder to help her maintain her resiliency.

What does it stand for? Power of Right Now! And that leads us to today's quote! Enjoy!
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Today I will delete from my diary two days: yesterday and tomorrow. Yesterday was to learn and tomorrow will be the consequence of what I can do today.

Today I will face life with the conviction that this day will not ever return.

Today is the last opportunity I have to live intensely, as no one can assure me that I will see tomorrow's sunrise.

Today I will be brave enough not to let any opportunity pass me by,my only alternative is to succeed.

Today I will invest my most valuable resource: my time, in the most transcendental work: my life; I will spend each minute passionately to make of today a different and unique day in my life.

Today I will defy every obstacle that appears on my way trusting I will succeed.

Today I will resist pessimism and will conquer the world with a smile, with the positive attitude of expecting always the best.

Today I will make of every ordinary task a sublime expression.

Today I will have my feet on the ground understanding reality and the stars' gaze to invent my future.

Today I will take the time to be happy and will leave my footprints and my presence in the hearts of others.

Today, I invite you to begin a new season where we can dream that everything we undertake is possible and we fulfil it, with joy and dignity.

Have a great day and a better one tomorrow!

Author Unknown
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

Dalai Lama
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, 19 June 2006

Step out of the chaos as you refresh, reawaken and rediscover yourself with a motivational and inspirational thought with today's Quote of the Week! Today's quote, 'Be grease, not glue.'
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"Every life you touch will touch you back. Treasure every sunrise, every raindrop that hits your nose, every slobber of your dog, the feeling of sand between your toes. Be moved by the tears of a child, and try to fix the cause. Be grease, not glue. Breathe deep, exhale slowly, and never miss a chance to help another while on your journey here."

From the book, The Real Meaning of Life
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Or in the words of Frankie Valli... ;-)

We take the pressure and we throw away
Conventionality belongs to yesterday
There is a chance that we can make it so far
We start believing now that we can be who we are

Grease is the word
It's got groove it's got meaning
Grease is the time, is the place is the motion
Grease is the way we are feeling

From the play/movie Grease
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. Isn't that where the fruit is anyway?"

Arthur Lenehan
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, June 12, 2006

"To receive everything, one must open one's hands and give."

Taisen Deshimaru

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"If my hands are fully occupied in holding on to something, I
can neither give nor receive."

Dorothee Solle

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There are people in life who hold their hand open, and there are those whose hands are shut. It makes me wonder, Which am I? By the way, Which are you?
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On a personal note...

Happy Birthday Bob Nolan

June 8th was my father's birthday. He was 83. To my sisters and myself, he is an everyday hero and borrowing words from Gail Godwin's book, Father Melancholy's Daughter, my father lived his life by the grace of his daily obligations .

When I think of the above quotes, he comes to mind as a man whose hands are always open. One of his favorite poets is Robert Service and this poem is dedicated to him.

The Ordinary Man

If you and I should chance to meet,
I guess you wouldn't care;
I'm sure you'd pass me in the street
As if I wasn't there;You'd never look me in the face,
My modest mug to scan,
Because I'm just a commonplace
And Ordinary Man.

But then, it may be, you are too
A guy of every day,
Who does the job he's told to do
And takes the wife his pay;
Who makes a home and kids his care,
And works with pick or pen. . . .
Why, Pal, I guess we're just a pair
Of Ordinary Men.

We plug away and make no fuss,
Our feats are never crowned;
And yet it's common coves like us
Who make the world go round.
And as we steer a steady course
By God's predestined plan,
Hats off to that almighty Force:
THE ORDINARY MAN.
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

He's Back!

Does anybody recognize this man? He is Seward Johnson’s 1982 sculpture “Double Check” that was at Liberty Park (near the World Trade Center). It is a very lifelike businessman sitting in the park which Johnson called an iconic “stand-in” for those who didn’t make it.

Well he did make it and he is back!!! Double Check survived September 11, 2001 but he took a beating. After 9/11, the battered bronze statue became a symbol of those who lost their lost lives on September 11, 2001. In the days following the attacks, rescue workers placed an FBI hard hat on its head and a coil from a fire hose at its side while others placed messages honoring loved ones who died.

He returned last week to the newly refurbished park now named Zuccotti Park (I still like Liberty Plaza Park better). He is facing Ground Zero now and while he is dented a bit, he is still unbroken, serving as a symbol strength and determination. Welcome back Double Check!!

Stop by and say Hello to him sometime!

From the Quote of the Week Files, June 5, 2006

"the most wasted of all days is one without laughter."

e.e. cummings

"Seven days without laughter makes one weak."

Mort Walker

"I had a few laughs, so it was a good day."

Mike Pennella (after spending a day at the
track with his friends)

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Welcome to the Quote of the Week! Serving the psycho-spiritual needs of people on the go since 1999!

I read somewhere that a typical young child laughs more than 400 times a day, a typical adult—fifteen times. I began to wonder how often I laugh during the course of the day and if I even hit that fifteen mark. Studies show that laughter is healthy—it lowers blood pressure, boosts immunity, and may even help you lose weight.

Given all the headlines of late, it isn't easy to do a lot of laughing (especially the laugh out-loud kind), but my goal this week and the rest of the month is to "Laugh out loud" at least 15 times a day. I may need some help, any suggestions?

By the way, how often do laugh in a day?

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Link to an article on the benefits of laughter…

http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jun05/050615m.asp

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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."

Victor Borge

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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, Memorial Day 2006

Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers;
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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It is Memorial Day in America.

Every year, on the last Monday in May, Americans observe Memorial Day. Originally called "Decoration Day," Memorial Day is a holiday that commemorates those who have died in battle while serving in the U.S. armed forces. Today We are reminded that they died so that we could live and continue to cherish the things they loved.

The Quote of the Week honors those who gave their lives for our future freedoms and the acknowledge those men and women who serve in our armed forces today.

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"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say,
For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today"

Kohima Epitaph

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Links to Memorial Day History and the the Kohima Epitaph...

http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyseneca/memorial.htm
http://www.burmastar.org.uk/epitaph.htm

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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, May 22, 2006

Welcome to the Quote of the Week!! The place to go to where you can get timeless wisdom at bargain basement prices!!
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The Secret of Life...

The search for this week's quote bought me to the March 27th issue of The New Yorker magazine and Calvin Trillen's essay, Alice, Off Page, which is a tribute to his late wife. Here is an excerpt from that essay that may explain the secret of life.

Once, for the program at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp gala, some volunteer counselors contributed short passages about their experiences at camp, and Alice wrote about one of the campers, a sunny little girl she called L. At camp, Alice had a tendency to gravitate toward the child who needed the most help, and L. was one of those. "Last summer, the camper I got closest to, L., was a magical child who was severely disabled, " Alice wrote. "She had two genetic diseases, one which kept her from growing and one which kept her from digesting any food. She had to be fed through a tube at night and she had so much difficulty walking that I drove her around in a golf cart a lot....One day, when we were playing duck-duck-goose, I was sitting behind her and she asked me to hold her mail for her while she took her turn to be chased around the circle. It took her a while to make the curcuit, and I had time to see that on top of the pile was a note from her mom. Then I did something truly awful, which I'm reluctant now to reveal. I decided to read that note. I simply had to know what this child's parents could have done to make her so spectacular, to make her the most optimistic, most enthusiastic, most hopeful human being I had ever encountered. I snuck a quick look at the note, and my eyes fell on this sentence: 'If God had given us all the children in the world to choose from, L., we would only have chose you.' Before L. got back to her place in the circle, I showed the note to Bud, who was sitting next to me. 'Quick. Read this,' I whispered. 'It's the secret of life.'

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Here is a link to the full text...

http://www.math.missouri.edu/~krishna/alice
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A Recycled Quote of the week classic...

"A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses."

Chinese Proverb
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, May 15, 2006

Welcome to the Quote of the Week! Your First Aid for Pessimism!
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Wisdom from across the bar...

Life, work and careers were the subject of the conversation I had with Dave and Leslie, an interesting couple I met at the bar of a local restaurant. Passionate about her career, Leslie summed up her philosophy of work and getting ahead in the quote below. I thought it was pretty interesting and made it this week quote. Enjoy!
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"What's the point of getting where you want to go if your are not going to help others get where they want to go?"

Leslie Dyer
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic…

"I have come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration, I can humiliate or horror, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated and a person is humanized or de-humanized. If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they could be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming."

J.W. Goethe
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, May 7, 2006

Today's quote comes from the book The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracian which contains 300 short paragraphs of insights, reflections, and advice. Below is #140. I think this will be my challenge for this coming week... Go straight to the Good of Everything!
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Go Straight to the Good in Everything

"It is the happy lot of those with good taste. The bee goes straight for the sweetness, and the viper for the bitterness it needs for its poison. So with tastes: some go for the best, others for the worst. There is nothing that doesn't have some good, especially books, where good is imagined. Some people's temperaments are so unfortunate that among a thousand perfections they will find a single defect and censure it and blow it all out of proportion. They are the garbage collectors of the will and the intellect, burdened down with blemishes and defects: punishment for their poor discernment rather than proof of their subtlety. They are unhappy, for they batten on bitterness and graze on imperfections. Others have a happier sort of taste: among a thousand defects they discover some perfection that good luck happened to drop."

Baltasar Gracian
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"The more faithfully you listen to the voices within you, the better you will hear what is sounding outside."

Dag Hammarskjold
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files, May 1, 2006

Happy talk, keep talkin' happy talk,
Talk about things you'd like to do.
You got to have a dream,
If you don't have a dream
How you gonna have a dream come true?

If you don't talk happy,
And you never have a dream,
Then you'll never have a dream come true!

Rogers and Hamerstein
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It is funny how things can come together...

Last week I was reading an article by business guru Tom Peters on 100 Ways to Succeed (see link below) with Rogers and Hammestein play South Pacific blaring in the background (nothing else was on). Just as I am finishing the Peters’ 15th way to succeed titled, You must be able to answer this question! And the question is: What’s the Dream?, the song above song, Happy Talk starts playing.

Now this is a song that I have heard many times over the years without really paying much attention to the lyrics. But the reading of Tom Peter’s article bought new meaning to these words...

You got to have a dream,
If you don't have a dream,
How you gonna have a dream come true?

So now not only do I find myself singing this song in the shower and the car during these past few days but more importantly, I am asking myself, What is my dream? Hmm, I going to have to give this some thought!!!

By the way, What is your dream?
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Link to Tom Peters Article...

http://www.tompeters.com/blogs/freestuff/uploads/

Link to the lyrics of Happy Talk...

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/happytalk.htm

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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week, April 24, 2006

"To the extent that your work takes into account the needs of the world, it will
be meaningful; to the extent that through it you express your unique talents, it
will be joyful."

Laurence G Boldt; How to Find the Work You Love

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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by
yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on
the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little
clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote
itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to
the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I
can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more
I live. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I
have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as
possible before handing it on to future generations."

George Bernard Shaw
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week Files, April 17, 2006

Carry On

It's easy to fight when everything's right,
And you're mad with the thrill
and the glory;
It's easy to cheer when victory's near,
And wallow in
fields that are gory.
It's a different song when everything's wrong,
When you're feeling infernally mortal;
When it's ten against one, and
hope there is none,
Buck up, little soldier, and chortle:

Carry on! Carry on!
There isn't much punch in your
blow.
You're glaring and staring and hitting out blind;
You're muddy and
bloody, but never you mind.
Carry on! Carry on!

You haven't the ghost of a show.
It's looking like death,
but while you've a breath,
Carry on, my son! Carry on!

And so in the strife of the battle of life
It's easy to fight when you're winning;
It's easy to slave, and starve and be brave,
When the dawn of success is beginning.
But the man who can meet despair and defeat
With a cheer, there's the man of God's choosing;

The man who can fight to Heaven's own height
Is the man who can fight when he's losing.

Carry on! Carry on!
Things never were looming so black.
But show that you haven't a cowardly streak,
And though you're
unlucky you never are weak.
Carry on! Carry on!
Brace up for another attack.
It's looking like hell, but -- you never can tell:
Carry on, old man! Carry on!

There are some who drift out in the deserts of doubt,
And some who in brutishness wallow;
There are others, I know, who in piety go
Because of a Heaven to follow.
But to labour with zest, and to give of your best,
For the sweetness and joy of the giving;
To help folks along with a hand and a song;
Why, there's the real sunshine of living.

Carry on! Carry on!
Fight the good fight and true;
Believe in your mission, greet life with a cheer;
There's big work to do, and that's why you are here.
Carry on! Carry on! Let the world be the better for you;
And at last when you die, let this be your cry:
Carry on, my soul! Carry on!

Robert Service
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From the Quote of the Week files; April 10, 2006

This past Friday, I had the privilege of taking my Dad to Long Island to have lunch with his brothers and sisters. They were all there and i t was fun watching them interact, share memories and reminisce with each other. It also inspired this quote by T.S. Eliot. Enjoy!
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There's no vocabulary
For love within a family,
love that's lived in
But not looked at,
love within the light of which
All else is seen,
the love within which
All other love finds speech.
This love is silent.

T.S. Eliot
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Reycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

T.S. Eliot
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files; April 3, 2006

Today's quote is a life lesson on how to be authentic by Abraham Maslow.
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On being Authentic...

Discover your true identity.
Strive to be honest in the sense of allowing your behavior and speech to be a true and spontaneous expression of your inter feelings.
Live in a way that expresses your real desires and characteristics.
Know yourself.
Authenticity is the reduction of phoniness toward the zero point.

Abraham Maslow; The Further Reaches of Human Nature, 1971
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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...

"There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first. When you learn to live for others, they will live for you."

Paramahansa Yogananda
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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!

From the Quote of the Week files; March 27, 2006

A cup of tea, No Joe’s Café and a Dairy truck!

Today’s quote comes by way of a Dairy Truck that passed through beautiful downtown Red Bank yesterday morning as I was having a tea at No Joe’s Café with the owner Mike and friends Art and Chuck. As part of its advertisement, the truck had this short but powerful quote...
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'The key to life is what you add to it. Add something!"

On a Garelick Farms Dairy Truck

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And in honor of the first day of Spring, this reminder...

"The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month."

Henry Van Dyke, Fisherman's Luck, 1899

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A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic…

Remember that Right Now...

Somebody is very proud of you.
Somebody is thinking of you.
Somebody is caring about you.
Somebody misses you.
Somebody wants to talk to you.
Somebody wants to be with you.
Somebody hopes you aren't in trouble.
Somebody is thankful for your support.
Somebody wants to hold your hand.
Somebody hopes everything turns out all right.
Somebody wants you to be happy.
Somebody wants you to find him/her.
Somebody is celebrating your successes.
Somebody wants to give you a gift.
Somebody thinks that you are a gift.
Somebody hopes you're not too cold, or too hot.
Somebody wants to hug you.
Somebody loves you.
Somebody admires your strength.
Somebody is thinking of you and smiling.
Somebody wants to be your shoulder to cry on.
Somebody wants to go out with you & have a lot of fun.
Somebody thinks the world of you.
Somebody wants to protect you.
Somebody would do anything for you.
Somebody wants to be forgiven.
Somebody is grateful for your forgiveness.
Somebody wants to laugh with you.
Somebody remembers you and wishes you were there.
Somebody needs to know your love is unconditional.
Somebody values your advice.
Somebody wants to tell you how much they care.
Somebody wants to share their dreams with you.
Somebody wants to hold you in their arms.

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Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!