Gratitude II The purest form of our thanksgiving is quietly seen in our thanks-living. (Choose Joy) Having an attitude of gratitude is dying in our modern culture where the art of thankfulness is being replaced with constant criticism, discontent, and entitled...
Gratitude I Gratitude [is] nearly the greatest of all human duties, (and) nearly the most difficult. (G. K. Chesterton, 20th century English writer) Why is gratitude so difficult? We begin teaching our children to say, “Please” and “Thank you” at the very earliest...
Learning Life is a series of lessons which must be lived to be understood. (Thomas Carlyle, 19th century British philosopher) As Carlyle suggests, lessons are best learned, not by rote and lecture, but by experience. The accumulation of valuable knowledge is the...
Life’s Purpose There are two great days in a person's life - the day we are born and the day we discover why. (William Barclay, 20th century Scottish Bible scholar) None of us can remember the day we were born, but others may have told us how happy a day that was....
Happiness Remember that happiness is a way of travel—not a destination. (Roy M. Goodman) For some people, happiness is like the proverbial pot of gold that is supposed to be found at the end of the rainbow. We may work hard to be happy, but happiness is more a...
Happy New Year! Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, “It will be happier.” (Alfred Lord Tennyson.19th century British poet) Welcome 2021! The world may never have been more grateful to close the door on a year gone by. And as Tennyson...
A Resolution for the New Year This year I want my life to be less busy, but fuller! (Judy Yeager, benefactor & volunteer) If you’re into making resolutions for 2021, Yeager's is a good one to consider. Many of us complain about how busy we are. So much to do and...
Year’s End “Another year is almost over . . . (Pria Priyambada) . . . and I just want to thank the special people in my life who have listened without judgment, helped without conditions, understood with empathy, and loved me no matter what.” Before you make your...
Doing Right Choose right, oppose wrong, dignify life, and esteem everyone. (Roddie Edmonds, WWII veteran) Edmonds was in a prisoner of war camp when he was faced with a difficult challenge from his captors. The decision to defy the commandant’s command could have cost...
Passion I just set myself on fire, and people come from miles around to watch me burn. (John Wesley, 18th-century evangelist) Wesley’s use of hyperbole makes a very clear statement about his passion. He battled against the “establishment” to bring change that resulted...
Loyalty Too often a sense of loyalty depends on admiration, and if we can’t admire, it is difficult to be loyal. (Aimee Buchanan, Olympic figure skater) Sometimes we find ourselves in a quandary. Perhaps we are on a team where loyalty is essential, but some of our...
After Christmas Peace on earth will come to stay when we live Christmas every day. (Helen Steiner Rice, late American poet) It’s surprising—and often disappointing—how quickly the Christmas spirit disappears after the holiday is over. What happened to the peace on...