”The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength,
not a lack of knowledge,
but rather a lack of will.”
– Vince Lombardi
courage
Poem for Today ~ Four Walls
Four Walls
Blanche Taylor Dickinson
Four great walls have hemmed me in.
Four strong, high walls:
Right and wrong,
Shall and shan’t.
The mighty pillars tremble when
My conscience palls
And sings its song—
I can, I can’t.
If for a moment Samson’s strength
Were given me I’d shove
Them away from where I stand;
Free, I know I’d love
To ramble soul and all,
And never dread to strike a wall.
Again, I wonder would that be
Such a happy state for me . . .
The going, being, doing, sham—
And never knowing where I am.
I might not love freedom at all;
My tired wings might crave a wall—
Four walls to rise and pen me in
This conscious world with guarded men.
Poem of the Day ~ A Distant Song
A Distant Song
John Gould Fletcher
Whether awake or sleeping,
I cannot rest for long:
By my casement comes creeping
A distant song.
A song like the chiming of silver
Bells which the breezes play,
Seeming to float for ever
Towards an unseen day:
A song that is weary with sorrow,
Yet knows not any defeat:
Through the past, through to-day, through to-morrow,
It echoes on life’s long street.
Could I but make words of its power,
Bring it from the future here,
Men’s souls would be waking, that hour,
To the victory against fear.
But the vague sweet stanza befools me
With its calm joy, time after time,
And no failure here ever schools me
To cease from an idle rhyme.
That music afar, unspoken,
’Tis I have done it wrong:
I caught, and I have broken,
A distant song.
Thinking Out Loud ~ Dare To Take The Adventure
Free the Child Within
Beginning today I am reflecting on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s work, The Little Prince. The Little Prince is a modern classic.
Saint-Exupéry in writes in The Little Prince, “I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups and I asked them if my drawing frightened them. They answered: “Why should anyone be frightened by a hat?” My drawing did not represent the hat. It represented a boa snake that digested an elephant. Then I drew the inside of a boa snake so that the grown-ups could understand. They always need explanations. The grown-ups advised me to put aside the drawings of open or closed boa snakes, and to become rather interested in geography, history, calculation, and grammar. That is how I gave up, at the age of 6, a magnificent career as a painter. I had been discouraged by the failure of my drawings . . . The grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and, for children, it’s tiresome always giving them some explanations.”
NOTE: How many of us have been discouraged by “grownups” when we were younger. They saw the world through their fearful eyes and not through the eyes of an adventurous youth. No matter your age, open the door to the child within and dare to go on the marvelous journey you always wanted to take.
Poem for Today ~ A Prayer
A Prayer
Paul Laurence Dunbar
O Lord, the hard-won miles
Have worn my stumbling feet:
Oh, soothe me with thy smiles,
And make my life complete.
The thorns were thick and keen
Where’er I trembling trod;
The way was long between
My wounded feet and God.
Where healing waters flow
Do thou my footsteps lead.
My heart is aching so;
Thy gracious balm I need.
Feel Good Tip ~ Move Out of the Tight Circle
I am blessed. I am surrounded by good neighbors and friends. They care about me and I care about them. When we move outside of our tight circle we discover a beautiful world filled with beautiful people who care and have loving hearts.
Daily Inspirational Quotes ~ Letting Go and Opening New Doors
“If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”
Paulo Coehlo
Feel Good Tip ~ Prayer takes Many Forms
When Prayer Happens
I know that prayer takes many forms. It happens when I’m gathered with other believers. It happens when I’m grateful. It happens when I am in great need. It happens when I see or know of another suffering. It happens best when my lips are silent and my heart is speaking. I find peace when I pray. Whatever your tradition or faith, I imagine it is much the same for you.
Thinking Out Loud ~ Voting is a Right and Responsibility
One Vote Can Make a Difference
Margaret Atwood in her commencement speech writes, “If enough people show by the issues they raise and by the way they’re willing to vote that they want changes made, then change becomes possible. You may not be able to alter reality, but you can alter your attitude towards it, and this, paradoxically, alters reality.”
Margaret Atwood’s commencement speech is available here.
NOTE: Voting is both a duty and a right in a democracy. When we vote we are saying, “I think that this man or woman will best serve our community or nation.” When we do not carry out our duty and responsibility to vote we leave the choice in the hands of others. We forfeit our great right. One vote doesn’t seem like much; when it is added to the votes of others it can make a great difference. If we commit ourselves to working for candidates we feel will make a positive difference we can alter reality. Things do not have to stay as they are. Things can become better.
