We spied a Great Blue Heron today on our morning river-walk in the falling snow. The peaceful sight of this majestic bird reminded me of the most peaceful sight that ever was.
I can only imagine the reverence and the peace that was felt in the stable at the sight of the baby Jesus Christ, divinely sent that night so long ago. This baby born of Mary, was also the Son of God.
I can only imagine the awe and wonder that was felt by the shepherds that night who were visited by an angel telling them to "Fear not...I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people...for unto you is born this day...a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord...wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
I can only imagine the overwhelming beauty that the shepherds heard and felt when, suddenly, "there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host."
Not only did the angelic visit suddenly increase in number from one angel to a multitude, but the heavenly multitude was "praising God, and saying all together, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." It's almost too beautiful to contemplate.
No wonder the shepherds "said one to another, "Let us now go, even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us".
No wonder they went "with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger." No wonder that they spread the good news abroad when they had seen the Son of God.
My husband and I stopped in our tracks today at the sight of this majestic bird ~ rare for these urban parts. I wonder how often we all "stop in our tracks" during this Christmas season to enjoy the simple essence of what we are celebrating: the birth of Heavenly Father's son, come to teach us; come to help us. And to ponder how His life and His sacrifice mattered.
Sometimes we are all victims of circumstance. That’s just the way life is. Naomi Judd said, "You get to be a victim once and after that, you're a volunteer". That quote really got me thinking. How can a person accomplish the opposite behavior...becoming an "agent"; taking responsibility for positive and powerful thoughts and actions?
The power and responsibility to direct ourselves in within each of us. “It is not meet that I should command in all things,” saith the Lord. “Men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves.” [1]
When you have been harmed, suffered a loss, been tricked or swindled, become sick, been abused or attacked, or have noticed a person who has something you don't have, YOU ARE A VICTIM ...once...when it happened.
If you still feel like a victim a year later (or fifty years later) YOU HAVE VOLUNTEERED for the position. It sounds harsh, but look at the behavior and thinking of a person with a victim mentality, and then look at it’s opposite ~ being an agent for yourself ~ taking control of your behavior and thinking.
What is a VICTIM? A victim is
Continue reading ""You Get To Be a Victim Once ~ After That, You're a Volunteer" " »
We often ask ourselves, "Who am I?", "Why am I here?", "Where am I going?" Today I was reminded of the answers to those three questions by two lovely women who came to visit me. They are my Visiting Teachers (two ladies from my church assigned to visit me monthly to leave an uplifting message). I sure needed to hear their message today ! The answer to these important questions are called The Plan of Happiness by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Who am I? We believe that God is our divine Father in Heaven, meaning we are His children, and that He loves us. That knowledge is so meaningful to me. Why is it so difficult to remind ourselves every day of this? We are children of God, our Heavenly Father, yet we sometimes forget. Can you imagine if we truly grasped the significance every day of this ~ our divine nature ~ how much
Continue reading "Your Divine Nature: Remember Who You Are!" »
There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
‘Well,’ she said, ‘I think I’ll braid my hair today.’
So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
‘H-M-M,’ she said, ’I think I’ll part my hair down the middle today.’
So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.
‘Well,’ she said, ‘today I’m going to wear my hair in a pony tail.’
So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and noticed that there wasn’t a single hair on her head.
‘YAY!’ she exclaimed.
‘I don’t have to fix my hair today!’
[anoymous]
Madonna and Child, by Pomeo Batoni
My dear friend, Sherrie Mills Johnson, is a religious scholar/ teacher at Brigham Young University. This month she is writing about the symbols of Christmas and their meanings ~ one symbol every day. You can read about them here. Her ability to deeply research and uncover details is helping me learn much more about how each symbol brings us closer to Jesus Christ. Understanding the meaning of Christmas little by little in this way fills me with a feeling of peace and gratitude for our Savior.
I've always loved the beautiful symbols of Christmas because they bring a much, much deeper meaning to this special time of year. We buy or make many of these symbols every year as a part of our celebration of Christ's birth ~ the tree (with the star on top), a wreath or the shepherd's cane (candy canes), among many others. My friend writes about other symbols too, such as swaddling clothes, frankincense, and the stable cave.
Every Christmas my gift to myself is to search for extra ways to feel more connected to Christ at Christmas. I need to consciously make the effort to remind myself of his birth, life, mission and sacrifice for me...because there is so much that competes with Christ at Christmas time. The symbols of Christmas, and their meaning, bring me closer to that feeling of connectedness, which fills me with gratitude and love for Christ and all that I have been given. It feels good to realize that I can control what kind of meaning Christmas has for me.
Nativity by Giotto Scrovegni
A Christmas Carol, Illustrated by Everett Shinn
Charles Dickens', A Christmas Carol, is arguably one of his greatest literary gifts to the world. Dickens' poignant story of redemption ~ Scrooge's redemption ~ reminds us that there is hope for all of us.
Laughing and/or crying throughout the richly written story we watch the type of wonderful transformation that could happen to any of us.
We see the emotional, ideological and ethical transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge...a greedy man who seemed hardened, indifferent, self-centered and past hope. Not only does he become a man full of goodwill and charity, but he overcomes his appalling lack of consideration for his fellow man and becomes a socially conscious member of society.
As truly exciting as it is to see Charles Dickens' heavily edited manuscript here (on display at the Morgan Library & Museum here), it is the theme of Dickens' story that endures; it has never been out of print since 1843.
If you haven't read A Christmas Carol in a while, nor seen the movie, perhaps this year would be a good year to do it! Please enjoy the following charming
Here is a great idea about gratitude. A an eighteen-year-old young man named Connor spoke in our church last Sunday. He talked about gratitude, since Thanksgiving is nearly here. He told how a seminary teacher once encouraged his class to go home, take a Lifesaver® candy, put it in their mouth, then offer a prayer of gratitude ~ asking for nothing ~ for as long as it took the Lifesaver® to dissolve.
When I think of what Christ has done for all human-kind, it makes me want to offer a prayer like that much more often. Jesus Christ, our Savior, has literally saved our lives...physically and spiritually. How could we ever express enough gratitude for his sacrifice?
Something amazing happens when I focus on gratitude. My eyes see more abundance; abundance in relationships, food, shelter and love. I am also able to understand (a little more) the incomprehensible extent of what Jesus went through to save me and you.
Luke 9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them . . .
Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Isaiah 38:20 The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.
Alma 38:9 And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom, that ye may learn of me that there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ. Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness.
Photo by Brandon Allen
I am only one, but I am one.
I cannot do everything, but I can do something.
And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with
what I can do.
~Edward Everett Hale
God gave me a gift today.
As if Heavenly Father knew my home would be empty for the first time as an empty nester, it started raining the very moment my daughter walked out our front door. After waving goodbye to her from the front porch, I walked back into my home, tossed off my sandals, then walked barefoot into the back yard, across the wet green grass and just tilted my face upward to the rain.
It smelled so good and felt so good. For weeks, no, months, I had felt a deep, unrelenting sadness for at the thought of my children all grown. Today's rain felt like a new beginning. For a moment, it asuaged all of the grief I'd been feeling. I eventually sat on the edge of the garden box. I literally soaked in this wonderful moment. It felt so good.
Rather than feeling like the rain was heaven crying with me, I felt like the rain was heaven's watering can, nourishing me to help me grow in this new phase of life. I know the sadness isn't over, but today's rain washed it away for a moment.
The rain only lasted a few minutes and then it was over. What a gift.
These quotes come from the "Master Class" series which aired on the OWN network in 2011.
My TOP 10 favorite quotes from Maya Angelou's Master Class:
A story* has been told many times of a Christian missionary in Africa who received a beautiful seashell as a gift from a student. He had walked a long way ~ to the coast of Africa ~ to get the special shell for his teacher.
"You've traveled so far to bring me such a wonderful present," the missionary teacher told him.
"Oh, teacher," the boy replied, "long walk part of gift!"
*****
We have all been given gifts that deserve the honorable description, "Long walk part of gift" (if we think long enough). The African student understood that the real gift wasn't the shell. The sacrifice he made to give it was truly the real gift.
Parent(s). How much time have your parent(s) sacrificed for you? Think of your expectant mother who carried you for nine months before you were born, and gave you life. Long walk part of gift. Think of the accumulated years that a good parent or guardian cared for you, teaching you, feeding you and loving you. Long walk part of gift.
Teachers: The hours that good teachers have spent preparing lessons, correcting exams, and sharing what they know have left lasting impressions in many of our lives. Long walk part of gift. Who are your favorite teachers?
Friends & Family. Most people have a few moments in life when a friend or relative has called at a moment of crisis or need. Spending time with a friend or relative laughing and having a wholesome good time is a gift. Friendship takes time and effort. Think of something a friend has done for you that took time. Long walk part of gift.
God. Our Heavenly Father sent his Son to earth knowing that He would suffer and die for you and me. What an incomprehensible moment. Long walk part of gift. His love for each of us is that great that He would do this. Long walk part of gift.
Jesus Christ. Our Savior volunteered to leave his Father in Heaven and be born on earth in lowly circumstances. Long walk part of gift. A Christian minister, John Clardy, called that walk "the long walk TO humanity".
Christ walked and walked, taught and performed miracles among those around Him. We are lucky enough to have scriptures to keep learning from Him during his "long walk AMONG humanity"** Long walk part of gift.
"The long walk FOR humanity"** was when our Savior suffered incomprehensibly for each of our sufferings, sins and agonies in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross at Calvary. His atonement was an unfathomable gift of love. Long, long, long walk . . . part of gift.
At this Christmas season as we reflect on the true gift of Christ's birth, life, death and resurrection, may we remember the long walks He took for each of us. As we consider gifts to give to those we love, may we remember that it is not the cost of a gift, but the love, and sometimes the sacrifice, behind it that matters most. When the three kings came to offer gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ-child, remember how far they had come, "Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. [Matt 2:1,2]"
Long walk part of gift.
*[Norman Vincent Peale often told this story.]
**John Clardy quote.
Often, life doesn't go as we imagine. This brilliant essay can help us all to reframe (and find joy and beauty in) unexpected surprises along our individual journeys. Thanks again, goes to my friend Christie Lewis for sharing yet another gem.
When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.
Welcome to Holland
c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved
I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......
After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland. [Emily Perl Kingsley is a writer who joined the Sesame Street team in 1970 and has been writing for the show ever since. Her son Jason Kingsley was born with Down Syndrome in 1974. Kingsley works as a writer and activist for children with special needs. Her experiences with Jason inspired her to include people with disabilities into the Sesame Street cast, including an actress who uses a wheelchair, Tarah Schaeffer, and even Jason himself. Jason's story was the topic of an hour-long NBC television special in 1977, titled "This Is My Son," and with co-author Mitchell Levitz, Jason wrote the book "Count Us In: Growing Up With Down Syndrome."In 1987 Kingsley wrote "Welcome to Holland," a widely published and translated piece which compares the experience of raising a child with special needs with traveling to Holland. The same year a made for television movie she wrote "Kids Like These," premiered on CBS-TV. The film, about a middle-aged couple who have a son with Down Syndrome, won numerous awards.]
My friend, Christie Lewis, spoke at our church last night. She talked about "having moments" each day, especially during the holidays. She means simple, joyful moments. She said that by the time Christmas is here you will have been asked countless times, "Are you ready for Christmas?" She suggested the reply, "I am having some wonderful moments." What kind of moments does she mean? Here are a few of her ideas: pausing to admire a sunset, going by yourself (if no one else can come) to a live nativity, always having quarters with you to drop into the Salvation Army buckets, or actually noticing the crunch of the snow under your feet as you walk (even if it's from the parking lot to the post office).
Christie mentioned a short comment from this blog by Stephanie Clark Nielson* (wife, mother of four and plane crash survivor ~ watch video about it here) which reminds us that there are perfect moments in everyone's lives, even during hard times:
"Mindy was a smash last night. She was beautiful and sang just perfect. She and Mr. Nielson sang their famous "Friday I'm in love" and my sweet little chickies Claire and Jane sang just like they did 2 years ago with Mindy when I was still in a coma. But this night I was lucky enough to hold my boys in my lap (while I was crying) listening to them sing like angels. It was so wonderful.
Another perfect moment in my life.
I am keeping track of these moments so when hard times come (and they do come) I can remember these "perfect moments" and I can step ahead."
As you go through each day may you "have moments" that bring you joy.
[*Stephanie Aurora Clark Nielsen says of herself, "I am: Returning from a near-fatal airplane crash, burned 80% of my body, and will have surgeries for the rest of my life. Probably. But I am alive. I cherish Mr. Nielson, Claire, Jane, Oliver, and Nicholas". She maintains a wonderful blog called NieNie Dialogues]
The "marathon monks" of Japan's Mount Heie bring new meaning to endurance and purpose. NPR's Anthony Kuhn just covered a radio story this morning about the Zen Monk, Endo Mitsunaga, who "became the 13th monk since World War II to complete the Sennichi Kaihogyo, 1,000 days of walking meditation and prayer over a seven-year period around Mount Hiei. He walked 26 miles a day for periods of either 100 or 200 consecutive days ~ a total distance about the same as walking around the Earth". You can listen to the story here. Just click on "Listen to the Story". These mountain marathons have been practiced for more than 1,200 years. I paid close attention to what this monk learned from what seems an almost incomprehensible journey. Here are my favorite lessons:
An out of print book, The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei, by John Stevens looks like a wonderful book with black and while photos by Tadashi Namba. I hope my local library can find it for me.
Music is a powerful, powerful messenger of hope, and Crystal Bowersox' rendition of "People Get Ready" is full of gratitude which is an important quality to have when you need hope. I'm sure I'm not alone in the world when I say that, "Today was an especially hard day." For all of us who had a hard day today, here are the lyrics to the song:
People Get Ready
People get ready
There's a train a-coming.
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board.
All you need is faith
To hear diesels humming.
You don't need no ticket
You just thank the Lord.
People get ready
For the train to Jordan,
Picking up passengers
From coast to coast.
Faith is the key;
Open the doors and board them.
There's room for all
Among the loved and lost.
Now there ain't no room
For the hopeless sinner
Who's hard on mankind
Just to save his own.
Have pity on those
Whose chances are thinner,
Cause there's no hiding place
From the Kingdom's Throne.
Have you or someone you've known lost a parent when you were very young? When death or divorce shakes up the world of a child it can be so confusing for a childlike mind to make sense of what has happened. It's almost like our minds are made up of a long row of coat hooks. Each hook represents an experience you've had and what you've learned from it. When you have a similar experience to something that has happened to you before, you hang it on that hook.
Let's say you go the beach at noon in the summer without sunscreen. You've done it before. You play in the sun for 2 hours. You're not surprised when you get sunburned. When you start feeling your skin getting hot and painful you don't cry and wonder, "what is happening to me?" You already have a mental coat hook called, "I know the sun can burn my skin" to hang that information on because it's happened to you before or to someone you know.
When a child loses a parent, if nothing like that has ever happened before, there is no coat hook to hang the information on. The information, or lack of it, seems to float around until a new coat hook gets created in the child's mind. Maybe that child finally meets another child who has lost a parent. New coat hook: I am not alone. Or maybe that child hears an adult say something nice about the parent they lost. New coat hook: My parent was nice. Eventually as time passes the growing child may have experiences where, during a grief-stricken prayer, they feel that the Lord understands their pain and comforts them. New coat hook: It helps to pray. God can comfort me when I am hurt.
I just watched a sweet movie, called Ponette *, about a little girl who lost her mother. It was comforting for me to watch this little girl's struggle to make sense of losing a parent. I was about her age when my father died (suicide), so her emotions, the off-handed comments and advice from children she knows (and the few adults in the film) were so familiar! It made me realize how capable, imaginative and determined children can be in making sense of their world, and how natural it can be for them to turn to God.
Other family members who watched it with me had never lost a parent, so the film seemed sad to them, although they were very impressed by the little girl whose acting some reviewers call the "most amazing child performance in film history". It didn't seem sad at all to me. It was comforting, refreshing and healing to watch; even funny at times. New coat hook: you're never to old to heal a little more.
*The young 4 year-old actress, Victoire Thivisol, was named Best Actress for this role at the Venice Film Festival. She later played the daughter of Juliette Binoche in the film, Chocolat.
"True gratitude is the ability to humbly see, feel, and even receive love. Gratitude is a form of returning love to God. Recognize His hand, tell Him so, express your love to Him. As you come to truly know the Lord, you will find an intimate, sacred relationship built on trust. You will come to know He understands your anguish and will, in compassion, always respond to you in love."
--Gene R. Cook
After Heath Ledger died, I first heard the Australian idiom, "Cutting down the tall poppy" during a t.v. special about his life. This tall poppy syndrome is a "pattern of behaviour where people who stand out from the crowd because of exceptional skill or ability (the “tall poppies”) get “cut down to size” by their peers. It’s the tendency in human beings to criticise or sabotage those who are more successful than others"*. Heath Ledger was a victim of this "tall poppy syndrome" when he returned to his native country of Australia for a movie premier, and on other occasions.
How often do we cut down the tall poppy? Sometimes we cut down the tall poppy outloud with criticism, or more often, silently in our thoughts. Is there someone in your life (a friend, relative or acquaintance) that seems happy, talented, beautiful or successful, and, for whatever reason, you wish they weren't? Or is there a public figure you feel that way about?
What kind of negative feelings take up residence in our soul when we allow ourselves feel that way? Jealousy? Insecurity? Bitterness? Resentment? A hard heart? Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent". Take a second to think if you ever have those feelings about a certain person ~ you may have never even mentioned it to anyone else.
What does it reveal to others about ourselves when we criticize? Perhaps the same things. That we are jealous, insecure, bitter, resentful or heard hearted. We seem to be demonstrating the childish behavior, "If I can't have it, neither can you". What happens to our heart when we feel this way? It seems to shrink to the size of a pea, just like the Grinch's heart in one part of Dr. Seuss' story, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
How can we change? Be glad for the happiness of others! That is the first positive thing we can do toward the successful, talented people we know or observe. If someone is experiencing success, or JOY, try sharing in that joy with them. The word 'rejoice' (re-JOY'ce), means to "again/ be glad". The Latin prefix "re" means 'again'. So, try sharing 'again' with someone's joy. Pay them a compliment, or just tell them how happy you are for their success. Tell someone else about their success. Or, just THINK about how happy you are for them, and treat them accordingly. You may surprise yourself when your heart softens and you make room for love and acceptance. It's a GREAT feeling (as you know). Second, pay attention to the tendency to cut down the tall poppy. When you start down that bitter road, just turn around and choose the higher road ~ choosing to share in the joy they are feeling.
What does this have to do with HOPE? If negative thoughts are taking up all the space in your thoughts at any given moment, there's no room for hope at that moment. I'm a firm believer in kicking out the negative stuff in my soul to make room for hope, positive feelings and positive thoughts. In other words, out with the bad, in with the good. If we need more hope to help us deal with challenges, we need all the room we can create in our minds, bodies and spirits. Rejoicing with people instead of cutting them down is a big step. When we create that sacred space in ourselves, it miraculously fills up with:
*Acceptance ~ of others and ourselves.
*Love ~ of others and ourselves.
*Peacefulness ~ we feel at peace with what we have been given, and with our better choices.
*Faith ~ that Jesus Christ knows how we feel, and blesses us when we choose the better path.
*Hope ~ that Christ, who continues to stand out from all others, forgives us and always gives us a second chance to improve. He was "cut down" and chose to love those who were against Him. He continues to love all of us, and He rejoices with all of us when we choose that higher road. Always.
* "Tall Poppy Syndrome", by John van de Laar
I know that even though life is not perfect, it is full of perfect moments. I believe those perfect moments are a tender mercy from God. One of the most perfect moments I have ever experienced in my life was a morning last year when my husband and I spent time with friends. We were offered a magical time of friendship, music and joy. I think God, our Heavenly Father, decided to grace us all with a moment of perfection that morning. When I think of God’s love for me, that is what it feels like—joyful, radiant, warm, all encompassing, and feeling full of light from within.
Although there have been some days in my life when my eyes have been closed to that joy because of illness or deep grief, a new day always comes and I feel God’s tender mercy in my life. Hope always comes. I am indebted to God for every good thing in my life and for every breath I take. I am thankful to Him for family and friends, happy memories, and for His generous, perfect, unconditional love.
Life is so beautiful. I was reminded again what wonderful people there are in the world when we spent time with those friends. I am so blessed.
I am going to look for a perfect moment today.
I flatter myself on a couple of silly notions. I flatter myself that I truly eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, when in truth I don't. I flatter myself that I am calm in the face of crisis, when in truth I'm not. Take for example the time my teenage daughter and son were thrilled to find an expired "EpiPen" (bee allergy auto-injection device) in hopes that they could hit it against something to see how it
works, having been disappointed that my husband hadn't been stung by a bee in their lifetime. They were talking about actually injecting it into an orange (instead of my husbands leg, thankfully), and so I called out, "I'll be right there!" Seconds later I heard a scream, as the EpiPen needle shot through my daughters thumb and came out through her thumbnail. The medicine landed on the floor, thereby saving the kitchen floor from anaphylactic shock.
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it every day.
For poise, walk with knowledge that you’ll never walk alone.
If you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands,
One for helping yourself, and one for helping others.
The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,
The figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because
That is the doorway to her heart, the place where love
resides.
True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring she lovingly gives, the passion that she
shows.
The beauty of a woman only grows during the passing years.
Contrary to what some may think, Audrey Hepburn did not write this beautiful poem, Sam Levenson did. Levenson wrote "Time Tested Beauty Tips" for his grandchild, and it just so happened to be one of Audrey's favorite poems. She read it to her children on the very last Christmas Eve before she passed away.
"Life is what we are alive to.
It is not length but breadth...
Be alive to...goodness, kindness, purity, love, history, poetry, music, flowers, stars, God, and eternal hope."
My mom used to play scrabble every week with her friends before she moved to another city. Her scrabble friends asked me how I was handling my chronic illness, "Isn't it hard not to be able to do the things you used to enjoy?" I was so weak, they knew I couldn't read books (I had cataracts), drive, cook meals, grocery shop, listen to music, etc.
My times are in thy hand. . . (Psalms 31:15)
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. (Psalms 27:14)
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." (Psalms 34:4)
Recent Comments