True Friends A friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else. Len Wein, comic book writer and editor) Sometimes when we are alone and in trouble, it’s not convenient for a friend to come alongside to assist. A true friend, however, will make...
Contentment The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. (William Arthur Ward, 20th century American inspirational writer) It’s curious, isn’t it, how differently people respond to a common event? As Ward...
Disappointment Disappointment is nothing but a premature conclusion, causing you to stop reading before the story's end. (Ann Spangler, writer) Have you ever been interrupted while reading a book and never were able to get back to it? Didn’t it leave you with an empty...
Cynicism Cynicism has never won a war, or cured disease, or started a business, or fed a young mind, or sent men into space. Cynicism is a choice. (Barack Obama, 44th U.S. president) Not many people would admit to being a cynic. A cynic is defined as “a faultfinding...
Leaving Our Legacies A legacy is not leaving something FOR people. It is leaving something IN people, thus leaving them better than you found them.” (Dawn Naylor, school administrator) We often think of legacies in terms of inheritances—the estate that is left to...
Success and Humility I don't want to be successful; I want to be useful. (quoted by Danny Wright, pastor) Wright continues: “And to be useful, I need to be humble. There are many people who are too strong to be useful, but there is no one too weak to be useful.”...
Happily-Ever-After It is only possible to live happily-ever-after on a day-to-day basis. (Margaret Bonnano, science fiction writer) Tales that usually begin with “Once upon a time…” often end with “… live happily-ever-after.” And we wish it were so. If we could read...
Love Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love. (Mother Teresa) At sometime in life, almost everyone probably wishes he or she could do something spectacular—something that would bring great benefit to the world (and great fame to...
Learning from Mistakes Mistakes give you more information so you can get it right the next time. Don't fear them, just learn from them. (Keith Minier, minister) Most people don’t like to make mistakes. In fact, some people won’t even act or speak because they are...
Listening Wise is the listener who doesn’t feel compelled to fill up all the blank spaces. (Charles Swindoll, pastor and author) Listening seems to be a lost art today. In many conversations, we are thinking about our responses while our companion is still expressing...
Hospitality It’s better to leave too early and be missed than to stay too late and be pitied. (Victoria Warden) Have you ever had guests who overstayed their welcome? They just didn’t seem to want to leave, and you were eager to wrap up the party. It takes a lot of...
The Narrow Road Roads were made for journeys, not destinations. (Confucius, ancient Chinese philosopher) At first glance, you might agree with Confucius. The journey along life’s road, no matter its destination, is where you live daily. So, you need to think...