Maturity For the unlearned, old age is winter; for the learned it is the season of the harvest. (The Talmud, book of Jewish law and theology) Growing old to some is a bleak and dreaded prospect. We all fear diminished physical ability, lessened visual and hearing...
Performing It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena . . . (Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the...
Inspiration I learned that inspiration does not come like a bolt . . . it comes into us slowly and quietly and all the time. . . (Brenda Ueland, late writer) She continues, “. . . nor is [inspiration] kinetic, energetic striving . . . we must regularly and every day...
Cooperation If you can't beat ’em, cooperate ’em to death. (Charlie Brown in Peanuts cartoon) Sometimes cartoon characters can give us something worth thinking about. What would life be like if, instead of continuing to fight against someone, we decided to join them...
Encourage Every person you meet today is hurting deep inside from something. Go gentle into this good day. (Leonard Sweet, American theologian) You just can’t tell what is going on in someone’s life just by seeing them briefly. They may give the appearance of health...
Quiet II If we have not quiet in our minds, outward comfort will do no more for us than a golden slipper on a gouty foot. (John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress) The analogy is clear, isn’t it? Can you imagine anything much more painful than trying to put a...
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...