It is now time to leave your world of tension, anxiety and doubt and tune into this week's Quote of the Week!
__________
"Each today, well-lived, makes yesterday a dream of happiness and each tomorrow a vision of hope. Look, therefore, to this one day, for it and it alone is life".
Sanskrit poem
__________
A Recycled Quote of the Week...
"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."
Marcus Aurelius
__________
Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!
21 September 2009
14 September 2009
From the Quote of the Week Files, September 14, 2009
Are you ready to enjoy a new inspiring or insightful Quote of the Week? It's great with a fresh cup of coffee or tea as you begin (or end) your day!
__________
"There is neither happiness nor unhappiness in this world; there is only the comparison of one state with another. Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss. It is necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good it is to live.....the sum of all human wisdom will be contained in these two words: Wait and Hope."
Alesandre Dumas
__________
A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...
"The way into this new world can be so simple - and so sweet. When you're willing to listen to your own voice and trust yourself enough to follow your heart, you encounter your true power - a power marked by courage and vulnerability. Any moment you offer a whole-hearted 'Yes!' to your own truth, you are infused with the power, self-worth, self-respect, self-esteem and confidence that will give wings to the best year of your life."
Debbie Ford
_________
Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!
__________
"There is neither happiness nor unhappiness in this world; there is only the comparison of one state with another. Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss. It is necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good it is to live.....the sum of all human wisdom will be contained in these two words: Wait and Hope."
Alesandre Dumas
__________
A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...
"The way into this new world can be so simple - and so sweet. When you're willing to listen to your own voice and trust yourself enough to follow your heart, you encounter your true power - a power marked by courage and vulnerability. Any moment you offer a whole-hearted 'Yes!' to your own truth, you are infused with the power, self-worth, self-respect, self-esteem and confidence that will give wings to the best year of your life."
Debbie Ford
_________
Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!
09 September 2009
From the Blog Provocations; Responding to a Cut-Flower Society
Some thirty-five years ago I listened to a talk by evangelist Leighton Ford in which he mentioned we are living in a “cut-flower society.” What I took him to mean is that we are a culture cut off from our roots, still exhibiting the beauty of its blossoms, but beginning to fade, as happens when a flower is cut off from its source of nutrients. I believe now, some three and a half decades later, we are beginning to see the petals fall off. What are we to do? How does one individual respond—not only to the external petals dropping, GM in bankruptcy, ballooning national debt, increasing cultural coarseness, public and private corruption—but to the personal petals dropping, losing a house, a job, a marriage?
“We are formed by what we admire.”
One part of the answer is a kind of recalibration. In the introduction to his eclectic collection of 365 lives of men and women throughout history called All Saints, editor Robert Ellsberg says: “We are formed by what we admire.” Therein lies part of our problem. On a recent flight from Jacksonville to Baltimore, 150 passengers were asked to name one Medal of Honor winner. One man named one of our national heroes. When asked who was the most recent American Idol winner, forty-three passengers knew the name.
We need to recalibrate who and what we admire. One person worthy of our admiration is a man named Alphonsus Rodriguez, one of the people in Ellsberg’s All Saints. Alphonsus was born to a wealthy Spanish wool merchant in 1533. At the age of twelve his father died and his mother summoned him home from a nearby Jesuit college, where he had just begun his studies, to run the family business. Some years later, at age twenty-seven, he married and had two children. When he was nearly forty, all the petals in his life dropped off. His wife died in childbirth, followed shortly by the deaths of his mother and his other children, and the family business failed.
Rather than shaking his fist at God for such multiple misfortune, Alphonsus decided to dedicate the rest of his life in service to God. He attempted to enter the Society of Jesus but was turned down due to his age and, ironically, his lack of education. He persisted and was eventually offered the position of porter at a nearby Jesuit college—essentially greeting and carrying the luggage of incoming students. He stayed at this post for the next forty years.
That would mark the end of a seemingly unremarkable life except for one facet. As Ellsberg describes it, “He performed his tasks with such infinite love that the act of opening the door became a sacramental gesture. So deeply did the porter’s faith and love shine through his daily occupation that many of his students who passed through his doorway ended up applying for his spiritual direction.” Thus he became the spiritual mentor of generations of Jesuit priests who, in turn, influenced countless others. In a final tribute to his life, his funeral was attended not only by Spanish royalty but by many poor and sick of the area.
One response to our “cut-flower society” is to recalibrate what we admire. Another is to seek out our own unique calling and pursue it with passion and sacramental purpose. You and I can make a difference.
Malcolm Briggs is founder and principal of Andesa Strategies, Inc. in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a Trustee of the Trinity Forum.
“We are formed by what we admire.”
One part of the answer is a kind of recalibration. In the introduction to his eclectic collection of 365 lives of men and women throughout history called All Saints, editor Robert Ellsberg says: “We are formed by what we admire.” Therein lies part of our problem. On a recent flight from Jacksonville to Baltimore, 150 passengers were asked to name one Medal of Honor winner. One man named one of our national heroes. When asked who was the most recent American Idol winner, forty-three passengers knew the name.
We need to recalibrate who and what we admire. One person worthy of our admiration is a man named Alphonsus Rodriguez, one of the people in Ellsberg’s All Saints. Alphonsus was born to a wealthy Spanish wool merchant in 1533. At the age of twelve his father died and his mother summoned him home from a nearby Jesuit college, where he had just begun his studies, to run the family business. Some years later, at age twenty-seven, he married and had two children. When he was nearly forty, all the petals in his life dropped off. His wife died in childbirth, followed shortly by the deaths of his mother and his other children, and the family business failed.
Rather than shaking his fist at God for such multiple misfortune, Alphonsus decided to dedicate the rest of his life in service to God. He attempted to enter the Society of Jesus but was turned down due to his age and, ironically, his lack of education. He persisted and was eventually offered the position of porter at a nearby Jesuit college—essentially greeting and carrying the luggage of incoming students. He stayed at this post for the next forty years.
That would mark the end of a seemingly unremarkable life except for one facet. As Ellsberg describes it, “He performed his tasks with such infinite love that the act of opening the door became a sacramental gesture. So deeply did the porter’s faith and love shine through his daily occupation that many of his students who passed through his doorway ended up applying for his spiritual direction.” Thus he became the spiritual mentor of generations of Jesuit priests who, in turn, influenced countless others. In a final tribute to his life, his funeral was attended not only by Spanish royalty but by many poor and sick of the area.
One response to our “cut-flower society” is to recalibrate what we admire. Another is to seek out our own unique calling and pursue it with passion and sacramental purpose. You and I can make a difference.
Malcolm Briggs is founder and principal of Andesa Strategies, Inc. in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a Trustee of the Trinity Forum.
From the Quote of the Week Files, September 7, 2009
Welcome to the Quote of the Week, your first aid for pessimism!
We have 3 quotes this week and they are dedicated to all the teachers that are members of the QoftheW. Good luck in the upcoming school year!!
__________
"Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire."
W. B. Yeats
_____
"In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have."
Lee Iacocca
_____
"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."
Chinese Proverb
__________
A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...
Take this quiz:
Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
Charles Schultz
__________
Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!
We have 3 quotes this week and they are dedicated to all the teachers that are members of the QoftheW. Good luck in the upcoming school year!!
__________
"Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire."
W. B. Yeats
_____
"In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less, because passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have."
Lee Iacocca
_____
"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."
Chinese Proverb
__________
A Recycled Quote of the Week Classic...
Take this quiz:
Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.
Charles Schultz
__________
Wishing you a most beautiful day, wherever this may find you!
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