Thought for the Day.......

Do you have a good way to start the day, something funny, or something inspirational that you would like to share with all of us?

It is one of my fundamental beliefs that not only do we inherently possess the potential for compassion, but I believe that the basic or underlying nature of human beings is gentle and compassionate....
That is predominate feature of human nature.  However, I feel it is not enough that this our underlying nature--- we must also develop a deep awareness and appreciation of that fact, changing how we perceive ourselves.  This can have a very real impact on how we interact with others and how we conduct our daily lives. - Dalai Lama

Pink, Purple and White. A Breeze Sways the Branch.
Heavy Flowers Back and Forth.
Lilacs Drip With Rain.

Now, Sparkling in Sun.
The Lilacs Cheer My Spirit.
Beautiful Flowers.

"There comes a time in your life when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it.
You surround yourself with people who make you laugh.
Forget the bad and focus on the good.
Love the people who treat you well, pray for the ones who don't.
Life is too short to be  anything but happy.
Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living."
- Author Unknown

"Today may there be peace within.
May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born in yourself and others.
May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content with yourself just the way you are.
Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us." - Author Unknown


As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play, on the computer, until 4 AM, or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50, 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But, broken hearts are what give us strength, and understanding, and compassion. A heart never broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!


Life is a luminous halo, a semi-transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the end - Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), British writer and essayist


"How far you go in your life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving,
and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these." - George Washington Carver


Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. - Albert Camus

Your success and happiness lie in you....Resolve to keep happy, and  your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
 
- Helen Keller

The purpose of our lives is to be happy. - Dalai Lama

As for marigolds, poppies, hollyhocks, and valorous sunflowers, we shall never have a garden without them, both for their own sake, and for the sake of old-fashioned folks, who used to love them. - Henry Ward Beecher - Liberal US Congregational minister, 1813-1887

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.
Rabindranath Tagore

---

"Take your child for a walk, and if you have a calm and unflustered heart, nature will lead you to appreciate it and learn everything that we should know."  Li Weiwen, chair of Taiwan's Society of Wilderness

---