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From the Philosopher and Writer
William Henry Channing :
We look forward to the time when the power of love will replace the love of power.
Then will our world know the blessings of peace.
~William Ewart
Gladstone~
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Positive Thoughts
True friends visit us in prosperity only when
invited; but in adversity they come without
invitation. .... Theophrastus.
***
What is a friend ? A single soul
dwelling in two bodies. .... Aristotle.
***
Nothing will ever please me, no matter
how excellent or beneficial,
if I must retain the knowledge of
it to myself. No good thing is
pleasant to possess without
friends to share it. ... Senega.
************
Man
is the only animal that deals
in
that atrocity of atrocities, WAR.
He
is the only one that gathers his
brethren
about him and goes forth in
cold
blood and calm pulse to
exterminate
his kind.
He
is the only animal that for sordid
wages
will march out...and help
to
slaughter strangers of his own
species
who have done him no harm and
with
whom he has no quarrel. ..
And
in the intervals between campaigns
he
washes the blood off his hands
and
works for "the universal brotherhood
of
man"--with his mouth. . . .
Mark Twain
--- What Is Man?
*********
This piece was sent to me a while
back and I found it very interesting.
John F. Kennedy was known for his
love of the sea - and whether we love it,
are fascinated by it, or even a little afraid of it,
it is a most awesome power and sight.
Enjoy his words.
-=-=-=-=-
I really don't know why it is that all of us
are so committed to the sea,
except I think it's because in addition to the
fact
that the sea changes, and the light changes,
and ships change,
it's because we all came from the sea.
And it is an interesting biological fact that
all of us have,
in our veins, the exact same percentage
of salt
in our blood that exists in the ocean,
and therefore,
we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in
our tears.
We are tied to the ocean.
And when we go back to the sea--
whether it is to sail, to fish, or just
to watch it--
we are going back from whence
we came."
~ John F. Kennedy, September 14, 1962 ~
-=-=-=-=-
Baha'i Prayer For Peace
°*°*°
Be generous in prosperity and thankful in adversity. Be fair
in thy
judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be a lamp unto those who
walk
in darkness, and a home to the stranger. Be eyes to the blind,
and a
guiding light unto the feet of the erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of
humankind, a dew to the soil of the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree
of humility.
*-*-*-*-*
~~ OF
YOUTH AND AGE ~~
Gen. Douglas MacArthur
-=-=-=-
Youth
is not entirely a time of life -
it is a state of mind.
It
is not wholly a matter of ripe cheeks,
red
lips or supple knees.
It
is a temper of the will,
a
quality of the imagination,
a
vigor of the emotions.
Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years.
People
grow old only by deserting their ideals . . .
You
are as young as your faith, as old as your doubts;
as
young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear;
as
young as your hope, as old as your despair.
In the central place of every heart,
there
is a recording chamber;
so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope,
cheer and courage, so long are you
young.
When the wires are all down and your heart is covered
with the snows of pessimism and ice of cynicism,
then,
and then only,
are
you grown old .
General of the Armies
Douglas MacArthur
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect
of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of
false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy
child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is the meaning of success."
-~Ralph Waldo Emerson~
I received this little gem from
a friend by email (thanks Yvonne) .. and of course do not know who the Veterinarian is, nor the people mentioned. But
as it has become public property - more or less - going around in email form, I decided it was too good NOT to put on here.
Wonderful piece of wisdom - out of the mouth of a babe. Enjoy
*****
Being a veterinarian, I
had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners; Ron, his
wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer.
I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and
offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told
me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt Shane
could learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family
surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood
what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept
Belker 's transition without any difficulty or confusion.
We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering
aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped
up, "I know why."
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me
- I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, "Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a
good life - like loving everybody and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, animals already know how
to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."
*********
Many people have older family
members who suffer from Alzheimer's Disease, or from dementia in various stages.
I visited my Doctor's office recently,
and on the bulletin board was a lovely verse. I asked if they would photocopy it for me and they obliged. It
is an "Author Unknown" piece and if anyone recognises it as their own, or from some other source, please let me
know, and I shall acknowledge.
Here it is - something we
can all think about :
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