The Winds of Fate
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
One ship drives east and another drives west,
With the self-same winds that blow,
’Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
That tell them the way to go.
Like the winds of the sea are the winds of fate,
As we voyage along through life,
’Tis the set of the soul
That decides its goal
And not the calm or the strife.
“God, make me brave for life: oh, braver than this. Let me straighten after pain, As a tree straightens after the rain, Shining and lovely again. God, make me brave for life; much braver than this. As the blown grass lifts, let me rise From sorrow with quiet eyes, Knowing Thy way is wise. God, make me brave, life brings Such blinding things. Help me to keep my sight; Help me to see aright That out of dark comes light.”
~ Grace Noll Crowell
A ham sandwich walks into a bar and orders a beer.
The Bartender says, ‘Sorry we don’t serve food here.'”
“Write the kind of story you would like to read. People will give you all sorts of advice about writing, but if you are not writing something you like, no one else will like it either.”
~ Meg Cabot
Love is stronger than hate. Hope is more powerful than despair.
Appreciation
William Judson Kibby,
Life’s a bully good game with its kicks and cuffs—
Some smile, some laugh, some bluff;
Some carry a load too heavy to bear
While some push on with never a care,
But the load will seldom heavy be
When I appreciate you and you appreciate me.
He who lives by the side of the road
And helps to bear his brother’s load
May seem to travel lone and long
While the world goes by with a merry song,
But the heart grows warm and sorrows flee
When I appreciate you and you appreciate me.
When I appreciate you and you appreciate me,
The road seems short to victory;
It buoys one up and calls “Come on,”
And days grow brighter with the dawn;
There is no doubt or mystery
When I appreciate you and you appreciate me.
It’s the greatest thought in heaven or earth—
It helps us know our fellow’s worth;
There’d be no wars or bitterness,
No fear, no hate, no grasping; yes,
It makes work play, and the careworn free
When I appreciate you and you appreciate me.
Your personality affects how long you’ll live. Stanford researchers Howard S. Friedman and Leslie R. Martin found that conscientiousness beat out all other personality type when it comes to life expectancy. “The qualities of a prudent, persistant, well-organized person, like a scientist-professor — somewhat obsessive and not at all carefree” are the qualities that help lead to a long life. “Many of us assume that more relaxed people live longer, but it’s not necessarily the case.” Why? Conscientious behavior influences other behaviors. Conscientious people tend to make healthier choices, including who they marry, where they work, and the likelihood they’ll smoke, drive too fast, or follow doctors’ orders.
The good news is that you can become more conscientious.
“I don’t necessarily start with the beginning of the book. I just start with the part of the story that’s most vivid in my imagination and work forward and backward from there.”
~ Beverly Cleary
“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”
~ Dr. Seuss
Sister Joan: “Megan, Does your family say prayers before eating?”
Megan: “No sister, we don’t have to, my mom is a good cook.”
