Easy Vs. Difficult

Author Unknown

Easy is to get a place in someone's address book
Difficult is to get a place in someone's heart

Easy is to judge the mistakes of others
Difficult is to recognize our own mistakes

Easy is to talk without thinking
Difficult is to refrain the tongue

Easy is to hurt someone who loves us
Difficult is to heal the wound

Easy is to forgive others
Difficult is to ask for forgiveness

Easy is to set rules
Difficult is to follow them

Easy is to dream every night
Difficult is to fight for a dream

Easy is to show victory
Difficult is to assume defeat with dignity

Easy is to admire a full moon
Difficult to see the other side

Easy is to stumble with a stone
Difficult is to get up

Easy is to enjoy life every day
Difficult is to give its real value

Easy is to pray every night
Difficult is to find God in small things

Easy is to promise something to someone
Difficult is to fulfill that promise

Easy is to say we love
Difficult is to show it every day

Easy is to criticize others
Difficult is to improve oneself

Easy is to make mistakes
Difficult is to learn from them

Easy is to weep for a lost love
Difficult is to take care of it so you wont lose it

Easy is to think about improving
Difficult is to stop thinking it and put it into action

Easy is to think bad of others
Difficult is to give them the benefit of the doubt

Easy is to receive
Difficult is to give

Easy is to keep friendship with words
Difficult is to keep it with meanings

Easy to read this
Difficult to follow

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Paradox Of Our Times

By Dr. Bob Moorehead

We have taller buildings but shorter tempers; wider freeways but narrower viewpoints; we spend more but have less; we buy more but enjoy it less; we have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, yet less time; we have more degrees but less sense; more knowledge but less judgement; more experts, yet more problems; we have more gadgets but less satisfaction; more medicine, yet less wellness; we take more vitamins but see fewer results.

We drink too much; smoke too much; spend too recklessly; laugh too little; drive too fast; get too angry quickly; stay up too late; get up too tired; read too seldom; watch TV too much and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values; we fly in faster planes to arrive there quicker, to do less and return sooner; we sign more contracts only to realize fewer profits; we talk too much; love too seldom and lie too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.

We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice; we write more, but learn less; plan more, but accomplish less; we make faster planes, but longer lines; we learned to rush, but not to wait; we have more weapons, but less peace; higher incomes, but lower morals; more parties, but less fun; more food, but less appeasement; more acquaintances, but fewer friends; more effort, but less success.

We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; drive smaller cars that have bigger problems; build larger factories that produce less.

We've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, but short character; steep in profits, but shallow relationships.

These are times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure and less fun; higher postage, but slower mail; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorces; these are times of fancier houses, but broken homes.

These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, cartridge living, thow-away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies and pills that do everything from cheer, to prevent, quiet or kill.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stock room.

Indeed, these are the times!

(Also read, More Experts - Dalai Lama)

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You Have The Right

Author Unknown

You have the right to be you-the way you are. the way you want to be.

You have the right to grow, to change, to become, to strive. to reach for any goal, to be limited only by your degree of talent and amount of effort.

You have the right to privacy-in marriage, family, or any relationship or group-the right to keep a part of your life secret, no matter how trivial or important, merely because you want it to be that way. You have the right to be alone part of the each day, each week and each year to spend time with and on yourself.

You have the right to be loved and to love, to be accepted, cared for, and adored, and you have the right to fulfill that right.

You have the right to ask questions of anyone at anytime in any matter that effects your life, so long as it is your business to do so; and to be listened to and taken seriously.

You have the right to self-respect and to do everything you need to do to increase your self-esteem, so long as you hurt no one in doing so.

You have the right to be happy, to find something in the world that is meaningful and rewarding to you and that gives you a sense of completeness.

You have the right to be trusted and to trust and to be taken at your word. If you are wrong, you have the right to be given a chance to make a good if possible.

You have the right to change your mind.

You have the right to be free as long as you act responsibly and are mindful of the rights of others and of those obligations that you entered into freely.

You have the right to win, to succeed, to compete, to make plans. to see those plans fulfilled. to become the best you can possibly become.

You have a right to boundaries and limits, a right to be intentional, a right to choice.

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Love Is

Author Unknown

Love is a slow kiss goodnight.
It is anticipation.

Love is an imperfection in yourself not bothering you.
It is acceptance.

Love is passing up an opportunity because the time is not right yet.
It is patience.

Love is a back massage that starts above the hairline and ends around the innersoles.
It is exploration.

Love is not having to say, "Let us make love", because you know what the other person wants.
It is understanding.

Love is being given an honest chance to say no when you thought you were committed.
It is consideration.

Love is saying the perfect phrase to make a solemn embrace dissolve into giggles.
It is humor.

Love is being told, "Stop and I will kill you".
It is desire.

Love is reviewing the damage to your living room and realizing personal effects are strewn
in a clockwise pattern from the front door to the bedroom.
It is abandonment.

Love is seeing what your lover really looks like for the first time.
It is truth.

Love is knowing what time it is and not caring.
It is joy.

Love is the arms around you tightening their embrace.
It is ecstasy.

Love is telling a person, if you have to leave, you will let them sleep, and being told they would rather be awakened.
It is tenderness.

Love is waking up to find the subject of the dream you were having asleep on your shoulder.
It is where fantasy meets reality.

Love is being there to wake your lover, slowly.
It is sensuousness.

Love is belatedly knowing why you bought a king size bed three years ago.
It is practicality.

Love is two people only taking up a third of a king size bed.
It is closeness.

Love is knowing you gave the extra set of keys to the right person.
It is trust.

Love is saying goodbye and knowing you will be back by mutual consent.
It is faith.

Love is stretching your arms and discovering the real meaning of the word "sore".
It is a lesson in human frailty.

Love is opening your medicine cabinet and finding your tooth-paste turned into a pretzel.
It is adaptation.

Love is sitting at the window, looking out, and remembering who you were with the night before.
It is reflection.

Love is hearing the weather forecast for a winter storm, and wishing you could spend it in bed with your lover.
It is loneliness.

Love is stories that will never be told.
It is personal.

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These Things I Wish For You

Author Unknown

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd know better.

I'd really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf. I really would.

My cherished grandson, I hope you learn humility by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking.

I hope you learn to make your bed and mow the lawn and wash the car - and I hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see a baby calf born and you have a good friend to be with you if you ever have to put your old dog to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it is all right to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you'll let him.

And when you want to see a Disney movie and your kid brother wants to tag along, I hope you take him. I hope you have to walk uphill with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. If you want a slingshot, I hope your father teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books, and when you learn to use computers, you also learn how to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get razzed by friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and that when you talk back to your mother you learn what soap tastes like. May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on the stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I hope you get sick when someone blows smoke in your face. I don't care if you try beer once, but I hope you won't like it. And if a friend offers you a joint or any drugs, I hope you are smart enough to realize that person is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or go fishing with your uncle. I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor's window, and that she hugs you and kisses you when you give her a plaster of paris mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.

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Dignity

One’s dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked but cannot be taken away unless it is surrendered. – Michael J Fox

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ABC's For Life

By Wanda Hope Carter

Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits

Believe in yourself

Consider things from every angle

Don't give up and don't give in

Enjoy life today, yesterday is gone, tomorrow may never come

Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches

Give more than you planned to

Hang on to your dreams

Ignore those who try to discourage you

Just do it

Keep trying to matter how hard it seems, it will get easier

Love yourself first and most

Make it happen

Never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal

Open your eyes and see things as they really are

Practice makes perfect

Quitters never win and winners never quit

Read, study and learn about everything important in your life

Stop procrastinating

Take control of your own destiny

Understand yourself in order to better understand others

Visualize it

Want it more than anything

Xcellerate your efforts

You are unique of all God's creations, nothing can replace you

Zero in on your target and go for it!

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Think Before You Speak

Author Unknown

Today before you think of saying an unkind word
Think of someone who can't speak

Before you complain about the taste of your food
Think of someone who has nothing to eat

Before you complain about your husband or wife
Think of someone who's crying out to God for companion

Today before you complain about life
Think of someone who went too early to heaven

Before you complain about your children
Think of someone who desires children but they're barren

Before you argue about your dirty house didn't clean or sweep
Think of the people who are living in the streets

Before whining about the distance you drive
Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet

And when you are tired and complain about your job
Think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another
Remember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to one maker

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down
Put a smile on your face and thank God you're alive and still around

Life is a gift Live it
Enjoy it
Celebrate it
And fulfill it.

And while you are at it give love to someone today
Love someone with what you do and the words you say
Love is not meant to be kept locked inside of us and hidden
So give it away "Give Love to someone today!"

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The Love Letter

By Major Sullivan Ballou

July 14, 1861

Camp Clark, Washington

My very dear Sarah, 

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days -- perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write you again, I feel impelled to write lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more. 

Our movement may be one of a few days duration and full of pleasure -- and it may be one of severe conflict and death to me. Not my will, but thine 0 God, be done. If it is necessary that I should fall on the battlefield for my country, I am ready. I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans upon the triumph of the Government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution.

And I am willing -- perfectly willing -- to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt. 

But, my dear wife, when I know that with my own joys I lay down nearly all of yours, and replace them in this life with cares and sorrows - when, after having eaten for long years the bitter fruit of orphanage myself, I must offer it as their only sustenance to my dear little children - is it weak or dishonorable, while the banner of my purpose floats calmly and proudly in the breeze, that my unbounded love for you, my darling wife and children, should struggle in fierce, though useless, contest with my love of country? 

I cannot describe to you my feelings on this calm summer night, when two thousand men are sleeping around me, many of them enjoying the last, perhaps, before that of death -- and I, suspicious that Death is creeping behind me with his fatal dart, am communing with God, my country, and thee. 

I have sought most closely and diligently, and often in my breast, for a wrong motive in thus hazarding the happiness of those I loved and I could not find one. A pure love of my country and of the principles have often advocated before the people and "the name of honor that I love more than I fear death" have called upon me, and I have obeyed. 

Sarah, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me to you with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly on with all these chains to the battlefield. 

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when God willing, we might still have lived and loved together and seen our sons grow up to honorable manhood around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me - perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar - that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not return, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield, it will whisper your name. 

Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have oftentimes been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness, and struggle with all the misfortune of this world, to shield you and my children from harm. But I cannot. I must watch you from the spirit land and hover near you, while you buffet the storms with your precious little freight, and wait with sad patience till we meet to part no more. 

But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the garish day and in the darkest night -- amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours -- always, always; and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath; or if the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. 

Sarah, do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again. 

As for my little boys, they will grow as I have done, and never know a father's love and care. Little Willie is too young to remember me long, and my blue-eyed Edgar will keep my frolics with him among the dimmest memories of his childhood. Sarah, I have unlimited confidence in your maternal care and your development of their characters.

Tell my two mothers his and hers I call God's blessing upon them. O Sarah, I wait for you there! Come to me, and lead thither my children. 

Sullivan 

Major Sullivan Ballou, 32 of the Union Army wrote this letter home to his wife Sarah in Smithfield, Rhode Island. It is considered to be one of history's most beautiful and moving love letters. He was killed on the battlefield in the 1st Battle of Bull Run seven days after writing this letter.

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The American President

5 Thoughts On The Job I'll Never Want
By Pandora Poikilos

The words of John Kennedy best describe the idea of becoming an American President - Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don't want them to become politicians in the process. With the senate elections around the corner, there is so much under review and of course everyone, everywhere is being bombarded with popularity results. There is always this constant debate about how social media encourages blind followers, that the more 'followers' you have, the more popular you are in the online world. Let me ask you, how is this different from what's happening in the world of politics? Yes, their tools may be different, their budgets certainly much more extensive and of course, they are dressed in better brands but it still comes back to the same point - I need more people behind me. It's alright if they don't really get what I'm doing but I need the numbers to prove it.

But what is it about this job that has so many in a frenzy about getting to it and when they don't, they'll never stop lashing out at the one who did? Is it that mental state of mind in knowing that you have so much power at changing other people's lives or is it just the sheer satisfaction of telling the world, "I have arrived, and it doesn't get any better than this." Because from where I stand, turning it all around, personally, it's a job I'll never go near. Yes, I am that courage-less and here's why.

There's just no pleasing, anyone
Now, ANY decision you make will be so scrutinized, you'll probably never have the comfort of knowing if it was the best thing to do, even if you've given your best shot. For every 100 people who come to you and say, "Thank you. It's just what we needed", you'll have another 200 screaming at you because you've messed up their lives. Bad enough you're affecting citizens of your country, sometimes, you'd need to consider the citizens of another country, diplomatic relations with that country and of course, how all of this has to come together to form - one proper decision. Before coming to a decision, you'd have to put up with the numerous discussions in all forms of media about the decision that you are going to make and when you do, you'll have to put up with even more discussions about how someone else could have done better. Which makes me wonder though, if so many people have such strong, powerful ideas about what to do and how to do it, how come only person ends up winning the race?

So, this is what 'actually' happened
You may be the boss to take the fall, (oh wait, I meant to say, to take responsibility) or to give the final answer but that also makes you a colleague when dealing with so many different situations. Can you imagine what the office politics within the job scope of the president must feel like? Bad enough, some of your 'colleagues' will openly voice out their satisfaction and lack of faith in you, down the line, even after your presidency, you'll have someone publishing a book that provides their version of all the nitty gritties that took place behind the scene. Add to that, you'll have the numerous issues (people) that come with the job. The ones who think leaking military issues is right or the ones who think spending as much as USD4 billion on election campaigns without declaring its sources are in the best interest of the people or even the ones who for every election promise you've honored, whisk out a piece of paper and say, "but there's two more here, you haven't honoured."

But I really feel like ice-cream
I have a huge issue with cravings. No, I'm not pregnant. It's always been like that. It can be 3am and I'll be thinking of this particular brand of orange juice or this particular ice cream flavour. And I know, I'm not the only one. Across the world, there's probably loads of people like me. Even Peas, gets cravings for the weirdest things and he has obviously no pregnancy issues to deal with. Different people. Different cravings. Different food. But we all have these moments when we just have to taste what's running through our heads. What's it like for the family at the White House? Of course, they probably have really great kitchen stocking skills but there's no chance of making that quick dash to the nearest ice cream corner or that even quicker junk food dash. Imagine, even if you could somehow get to the store and someone spots you with junk food, then you'd have probably have to deal with issues that will resemble, the president doesn't support healthy eating.

I'm not human
Becoming president also somehow becomes a silent vow in saying, "I give up being human." You are expected to be the emblem of perfection. No mistakes, no faults, no chance of ever saying, "I need more time". Never mind that everyone has a different sense of this perfection and you'll be expected to live up to each one irrelevant of whether you have a set of your own standards. You will need to perfect the art of being in at least 3 places at once and succeeding in each meet. Having time to yourself means you're being selfish and liking a particular brand means you're being supportive of everything the brand does and stands for. Spending time with the family is a question the world needs to see you answering. It becomes a necessity to some to know what you do with your family, where you go and what you eat or where during these outings. Slip up once, and the world watches.

Keeping it together
There are these few lines in the poem "If" by Rudyard Kipling - If you can keep your head when all about you, Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken, Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools - which serves as a small idea of what the president's world may seem like. True, it's a job that the president has chosen to get into and must take (gracefully) what comes with it. But for every plan that has been made, more incidents happen outside the circle of planning. Nature will throw a tantrum. Another country will decide to show the world its important. (Wait, is that the other way around?) And yet, there you are. There are no "Dummies Guide to being President" and of course you can't just Google, "Making a the right, best and ideal decision for all." It's just you and how you keep it all together to show the citizens of America and the world, that this is exactly where you're supposed to be.

If I could choose my favourite American presidents, I would divide them into - Presidents Past and Current. For past, I can only stand in awe of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt for their perseverance during such times which would shape so much of the world that we live in today. And for current, it would be Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Bill Clinton, for showing the world, that you may be president of the land of the free but that doesn't make you any less human and any less a family man. And Barack Obama, for reiterating what has been said by so many before him - Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. Irrelevant of their political standings and the decisions they make that can sometimes make me raise an eyebrow or two, I'm grateful that there are people like them who stand their ground to take up such a challenge of a job that takes your a lifetime, to finish.

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What If?

Author Unknown

What if, GOD couldn't take the time to bless us today because
we couldn't take the time to thank Him yesterday?

What if, GOD decided to stop leading us tomorrow because
we didn't follow Him today?

What if, we never saw another flower bloom because
we grumbled when GOD sent the rain.

What if, GOD didn't walk with us today because
we failed to recognize it as His day?

What if, GOD took away the Bible tomorrow because
we would not read it today?

What if, GOD took away His message because
we failed to listen to the messenger?

What if, GOD didn't send His only begotten Son because
He wanted us to be prepared to pay the price for sin.

What if, the door of the church was closed because
we did not open the door of our heart?

What if, GOD stopped loving and caring for us because
we failed to love and care for others?

What if, GOD would not hear us today because
we would not listen to Him yesterday?

What if, GOD answered our prayers
the way we answer His call to service?

What if, GOD met our needs
the way we give Him our lives?

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I Am Going To Grant You Life

Laramie Project (2002)
Director / Writer - Moises Kaufman
Speech made by father about dead son

My son, Matthew, did not look like a winner. He was rather uncoordinated and wore braces from the age of 13 until the day he died. However in his all-too-brief life, he proved that he was a winner.

On October 6th 1998, he tried to show the world he could win again. On October 12th 1998, my first born son, and my hero, lost. On October 12th 1998, my first born son, and my hero, died. 50 days before his 22nd birthday.

I keep wondering the same thing that I did when I first saw him in the hospital. What would he have become? How could he have changed his piece of the world to make it better? Matt officially died in a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. He actually died on the outskirts of Laramie, tied to a fence.

You, Mr. McKinney, with your friend Mr. Henderson, left him there, by himself. But he was not alone. There were his lifelong friends with him, friends that he had grown up with. You're probably wondering who these friends were. First he had the beautiful night sky and the same stars and moon we used to see through a telescope. Then he had the daylight and the sun to shine on him. And through it all, he was breathing in the scent of the pine trees from the snowy range. He heard the wind, the ever present Wyoming wind for the last time. He had one more friend with him. He had God. And I feel better, knowing he wasn't alone.

Matt's beating, hospitalization, and funeral focused worldwide attention on hate. Good is coming out of evil. People have said, 'Enough is enough.' I miss my son, but I am proud to be able to say that he was my son.

Judy has been quoted as being against the death penalty. It has been stated that Matt was against the death penalty. Both of these statements are false. I, too, believe in the death penalty. I would like nothing better than to see you die, Mr. McKinney. However, this is the time to begin the healing process, to show mercy to someone who refused to show any mercy. Mr. McKinney, I am going to grant you life, as hard as it is to do so, because of Matthew.

Everytime you celebrate Christmas, a birthday, the 4th of July, remember that Matt isn't. Everytime that you wake up in your prison cell, remember you had the opportunity and the ability to stop your actions that night. You robbed me of something very precious and I will never forgive you for that.

Mr. McKinney, I give you life in the memory of someone who no longer lives. May you have a long life. And may you thank Matthew everyday for it.

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I Choose

By Bernadette Ballezza

I choose to be happy.

I choose to live in a kind universe.

I choose to find things in common with the people that come into my life, celebrating our similarites and honoring our differences.

I choose to trust that this life isn't a random life.

I choose to reach out and help another, knowing I can make a difference, even though I may never witness the outcome.

I choose to pursue an honorable career.

I choose to believe we are all here for a reason, a good reason.

I choose friends who will restore me with support, joy and kindness and offer me the opportunity to do the same for them.

I choose to search for authentic meaning in my daily experiences.

I choose to welcome life's lessons.

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Woman Was Taken Out Of Man

Author Unknown

Woman was taken out of man; not out of his head to top him, nor out of his feet to be trampled underfoot; but out of his side to be equal to him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved.

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Love Me

Love me when I least deserve it because that is when I really need it. - Swedish Proverb

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Coincidence

Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous. - Albert Einstein

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Make Someone Love You

You cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them. – Unknown

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Faith In Your Dream

It's the faith in your dream that gives it a start. - Helen B Johnson

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Friend & Enemy

A friend cannot be known in prosperity and an enemy cannot be hid in adversity – Ecclesiasticus 22:25

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Secret Sorrows

Believe me, every man has his secret sorrow, which the world knows not; and often time we call a man cold, when he is only sad. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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