Quiet I Ah! How good it feels, the hand of an old friend. (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 19th century American poet) How many acquaintances have you “friended” on social media? How many of them are long-term friends? The term friend seems to have taken on a different...
Opportunity It would be easy to let our obstacles hinder our opportunity. (Tammy Shults, aviator and author) Obstacles arise in life’s pathway all too frequently. How we respond to them is the key to progress and success. Many times, when the difficulties seem...
Choices The really tough choices don't center upon right versus wrong. They involve right versus right. (Rushworth M. Kidder, late author and professor) Kidder continues: “They are genuine dilemmas precisely because each side is firmly rooted in one of our basic, core...
Music II Music expresses that which cannot remain silent and that which cannot be put into words. (Victor Hugo, 19th century French novelist) What would life be like without music? Whether it’s jazz, sacred, classical, vocal, instrumental—whatever the style, music...
Music I Music is the shorthand of emotion. (Leo Tolstoy, 19th-20th century Russian writer) Why do dramatic movie and TV shows have carefully written music backgrounds? Composers and conductors are hired to enhance the show with music that will play to the emotion,...
Value Value is increased by the cost of the achievement. (Jesse Deloe, editor) The value of certain material can be determined by its weight, clarity, and demand. It’s more difficult, however, to judge the worth of deeds and accomplishments. A piece of art may have...
Opinions [The] special mark of the modern world is not that it is skeptical, but that it is dogmatic without knowing it. (G. K. Chesterton, 19th-20th century British philosopher) Though written nearly 100 years ago, it sounds like the “modern world” of the 21st...
Anxiety Did you know that to worry about a situation [is to make] a conscious choice to do so? (paraphrase of Mike C. Adams, counselor) Anxiety seems to be almost a universal emotion in modern society. We’re worried about our health, the weather, politics, and so much...
Riches The truly rich are those who possess a rich heart rather than lots of money. (Bill Gates, philanthropist) When the man who is said to be “the richest man in the world,” defines the “truly rich,” maybe we should listen. How much money does take to be rich? When...
History There are two things that you can do with history: you can ignore it, or you can learn from it. Mrs. Allen, an unknown high school history teacher) High school history class. Ugh! How boring! Isn’t that the way many of us thought of that required class? As we...
Great Men II Not everybody can be famous, but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service. (Martin Luther King Jr) We often attribute greatness to those whose accomplishments are noteworthy and accompanied by public recognition. King, however,...
Great Men I A great man is always willing to be little. (Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th century philosopher) In 21st century life, we don’t see many men that Emerson speaks of. The “greater” men seem to be (at least in their own estimation), the more they try to build on...