Life itself is a quotation . Jorge Luis Borges We probably don't know it but what we say and what we do in our lives becomes quotable.  Our life is a breathing quotation and most of the time we don't even realize it.  But think about it.  How many times do you say something like, "Hey my friend said so and so" or "As my Dad always says...."  See?  Living our lives means we've become a quotation.  This isn't a bad thing, necessarily, mind you.  This can be a good thing if you live your life well, healthy, growing.  As I look back on the past 364 days of quotes it is obvious that a main source of inspiration comes from personal growth motivation.  And when we are committed to personal growth our lives become inspiring, quotable , to others.  Those who aren't committed to personal growth also become quotable but not in the way anyone ever wants to be.  Many of the past 364 days was inspired, positively or negatively, by someone in my life that exh

Eternal One: Leave this cave, and go stand on the mountainside in My presence. The Eternal passed by him. The mighty wind separated the mountains and crumbled every stone before the Eternal. This was not a divine wind, for the Eternal was not within this wind. After the wind passed through, an earthquake shook the earth. This was not a divine quake, for the Eternal was not within this earthquake. After the earthquake was over, there was a fire. This was not a divine fire, for the Eternal was not within this fire. After the fire died out, there was nothing but the sound of a calm breeze. And through this breeze a gentle, quiet voice entered into Elijah’s ears. He covered his face with his cloak and went to the mouth of the cave. Suddenly, Elijah was surprised. Eternal One: Why are you here, Elijah? What is it that you desire? The Holy Bible, The Voice Version, The Book of 1 Kings, Chapter 19, Verses 11-13 I'm down to one day from wrapping up this current 365.  And I figure

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.   Confucius The con of our "fast-food-society" is we've been conditioned to believe that if *it* doesn't happen quick or happen immediately then we should just give up.  But the reality is the the slower or longer it takes the better chance we have of *it* sticking.  It is along the journey of *it* that we learn lessons of sustainability, patience, perseverance, courage, etc.  If *it* happens too quickly then the chances for relapse are high because the necessary lessons haven't been learned.  As the saying goes, "slow and steady wins the race" and the fable of the tortoise and the hare proved that.  Like the tortoise, it doesn't matter how slow you go it just matters that you don't stop.

Today is your day!  Your mountain is waiting.  So, get on your way.   Dr. Suess How do you approach your days?  Do you look at what lies before you and want to crawl back in bed and pull the covers over your head?  Or do you look at what lies before you and allow determination to get you out of bed and stare down that mountain?  What if today was your day to conquer the mountain?  What if today was the day the mountain could be scaled?  So throw the covers off, get out of bed, summon your determination, and go take the mountain.  Go get it because  you can !

To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.   Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor had a lot of wisdom.  Too many times we practice the opposite of what she suggests.  We handle ourselves with our hearts and others with our heads.  I'm so guilty of this.  I forget that really it needs to be the other way around.  With myself I can't handle things with my heart, I must approach it with my head.  Why is that?   Because our hearts deceive us .  I know you want to protest that you have a good heart.  Sure you do.  And sure you don't.  Our hearts have moments of goodness but unless we relinquish the control of our hearts to the One who created it then our hearts get us into trouble.  Our hearts like to pet our egos and tell us we are right and everyone else is wrong.  You know its true because there have been moments in your life when you have carried a behavior out as far as it can go and all the while your heart was burning.  It wasn't burning with convictio

Some people create their own storms, then get upset when it rains! Unknown People crack me up.  (I am people so I crack me up too.)  We behave and speak in ways that create drama around us, that create high maintenance expectations, that stir pots and cause thunder and then when it all breaks loose we get huffy and blame everyone but ourselves.  We are outraged that "such and such" happened or that "so and so" ended the relationship, etc.  REALLY?  What did we expect?  We are the problem. Let's all just take a step back and get a little perspective. WE ARE THE PROBLEM. When we create the drama with our behavior and words then we are the problem.   When we expect people to treat us with white gloves and silver settings (i.e. we are high maintenance) then we are the problem.    When we stir pots and cause thunder with our treatment of other people, our poor work ethic, our "it's all about me" attitude then we are the problem.  When we refuse to

Would you like you, if you met you.  Tegan and Sara Be honest with yourself.  Don't be portray false modesty and don't be arrogant.  Be honest with yourself - would you like you if you met you?  Be willing to see your positive traits and be willing to acknowledge your flaws.  What isn't positive about yourself work on to turn it around.  Don't use the lame excuse, "Well that's just the way I am so take me or leave me" because you are going to get left and if you were honest with yourself you'd leave yourself if you could.  C'mon, you know - deep down - who you are.  So would you like you if you met you?

If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.   Stephen King I've never read a Stephen King title except his book on writing, appropriately called "On Writing".  It was good, he shared a lot about his writing methods and his theories on writing.  One tidbit he shared was today's quote.  You won't be a good writer if you are not a reader.  You can't be a good one if you aren't reading.  Read.  Read lots.  Read all different genres.  Read a variety of authors.  While you read take mental notes of different styles and methods.  Read for enjoyment, read for "business", read for personal growth.  Then you can begin to write.  You cannot be a writer without being a reader.  You can, however, be a reader and not a writer.  :)  His whole point is you can't write and expect people to read your stuff if you aren't reading other people's stuff.  A writer who is not a reader is easily

I don't remember who said this, but there really are places in the heart you don't even know exist until you love a child.   Anne Lamott Motherhood has been one of the biggest surprises in my life.  It may even trump the surprises of marriage.  Every year I say it has been the hardest or most challenging or most scary or most unnerving.   Every year I say that!  In the midst of mothering I lose sight of the rewards, a lot of days there doesn't feel like there are many.  Perhaps there aren't.  Perhaps the rewards are when the children are grown and out of the house and you have your distance from mothering them so intently and you can see what and who they have become, some as a direct result of your mothering.  Every so often I am reminded of the rewards in the here and now.  When I get an unexpected hug or kiss, when I get an understanding look on the days I am in tears for inexplicable reasons, when some stranger to our family approaches me and compliments me on t

The unexamined life is not worth living.  Socrates I understand.  It's hard to see the flaws in yourself.  It's hard to have someone else point them out to you.  I get it.  It's hard to realize that you aren't all that and a bag of chips and maybe, just maybe, you aren't as superior to others as you secretly think.  (After all, you would never actually say that you think that out loud!)  It's hard to hear someone point out something that you do or say and realize they are right and you kinda suck at the moment.  It's hard to recognize that maybe you don't really see yourself in true light and others can.  In the past couple of months I've run across some people who don't want to examine themselves.  They would rather live in their self-deception of who they are than to take what someone shares with them and do some introspection.  I feel badly for them, once I get over being totally pissed off at them that is.  Socrates is right, when we live

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.   Maya Angelou The butterfly only becomes beautiful in the confines of a cocoon.  We tend to forget that.  We tend to forget that it was wrapped up and underwent a metamorphosis that ushered in its beauty.  But it's the only way. And so it is with us.  Within the confines of painful and altering situations we undergo a metamorphosis that ushers in our own beauty (yes even you men!).  But just like with the butterfly we tend to forget that.  We forget that it is through the refining process that we become beautiful in character.  It is in that cocoon-type process that we shed the things that hold us back from being free to fly.  Tough things have a way of removing whatever is in the way of our freedom to be who we are. What would happen if caterpillars refused to enter their cocoon?  We would have no butterflies.  We would be lacking in the beauty of them as well

Denouncing evil is a far cry from doing good.   Philip Gourevitch Denounce your atrocity of choice all you want but unless I see you doing something to aid in relieving it I'm not going to do much listening.  Sometimes actual aid isn't possible at the moment but the crazy thing about this world we live in is that something can always be done.  Maybe you are the one to start the doing instead of so much talking.  Or maybe you just need to do a little more research and find the person/organization who is already acting on it and join them.  Once our eyes are opened to something we then carry a responsibility to act on it in some way.  And the ways in which we act on it will be different for each person.  Whatever you are compelled or prompted to do...DO.  Don't shrink back, don't second guess, don't hesitate, DO.  (Be wise about it though.  If it's an organization you find to align yourself with then research them and make sure they are legit.  Go here to chec

Your fear of displeasing people puts you in bondage to them, and they become your primary focus....If pleasing people is your goal, you will be enslaved to them.  People can be harsh taskmasters when you give them this power over you.   Sarah Young, Jesus Calling May 2-3 If you fear other people, you are walking into a dangerous trap; but if you trust in the Eternal, you will be safe. The Holy Bible, The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 29 Verse 25, The Voice Version Today's quote(s) are a topic I am very familiar with.  In fact I call myself a recovering people pleaser and if you have known me for a length of time and are familiar with my story then you know my label is pretty accurate.  Once upon a time I was in bondage to people.  I strived to keep peace at any and all costs, usually to myself.  I worked hard to make sure people viewed me favorably.  I never wanted to rock the boat so I owned blame that wasn't mine to own.  All of this people pleasing was a trap and I walked r

'The Lord never brings thirsty souls to dry wells to drink.' Be sure to pay attention to the people God puts in your path. Did God bring them to you? Or did God bring you to them?   Pastor Tom Mercer Have you ever thought about the people in your life?  Why they are in your life, their role in your life, your role in their life, the length of the season of relationship, etc.  I'm a root planter by nature.  I dig in, establish roots, and stick.  It's my preferred way to be in relationships but sometimes, I have learned through hard and painful ways, a relationship's roots are shallow and going to get dug up.  Then I go through a season of evaluating the relationship using the prompts I just posed.  Were they in my life because I was their "refreshment" or because they were mine?  I'm learning over time, and with age, that the people that come and go in my life are God ordained for the time they are present.  Sometimes they are for my benefit and other

Don't do something permanently stupid just because you're temporarily upset.   Unknown When we get upset we can act irrationally.  Sometimes what we do isn't temporary but can have a permanent outcome.  Our actions are not contained just to ourselves, they are like dominoes and as we do something it falls into another action and off it goes from there.  To think that what we do, or say, affects only us is a very narrow and selfish viewpoint to have.  Our actions affect others, whether we see that or not.  When angry, frustrated, jealous, insecure, etc focus on responding rather than reacting.  Reacting generally leads to something that would fall in the category of "permanently stupid", responding is the evidence of self-control because a response always comes out of thinking before speaking or doing.  Take a moment to get outside of yourself and see the bigger picture.  When we allow our emotions to control us then we are out of control and act irrationally.  

Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.   Unknown If you can't plan ahead and do as much as possible on your end then don't place the burden of your lack on someone else. Really.  It is rude, insensitive, and selfish.  Additionally, if you dream up some "great idea" and feel the urgency to get it done yesterday then do it yourself and do not place the burden on others.  If others have to be involved then breathe and attempt to think clearly instead of forcing others to alter their work or plans for you.  Could you be any more selfish? It's probably fairly obvious that this is one of those things that frustrates me.  People are so self-absorbed these days that even their work they put ahead of anyone else's responsibilities.  And trying to make someone else own your lack of preparedness is rude.  So if you want to wait until last minute or not prepare at all and then come to me seeking assistance you may, or may not, get

Imagine all the wondrous things your arms might embrace if they weren't wrapped so tightly around your struggles. Sheila Burke Are you holding on to the wrong things?  The unhealthy things?  The negative things?  The painful things?  By holding on to those you are unable to hold on to the right things, the healthy things, the positive things, the healing. I'm not saying to ignore your struggles but I am saying don't let them be the only thing that fills your arms.  Allow yourself to put them down and embrace life.  To fill your arms to capacity with the struggles is your choice.  Nobody is forcing you to do that.  You always have a choice. What could happen if you embraced life instead?  What would happen if you embraced healthy things instead?  I think part of our unwillingness to let go of the struggles is they have become a comfort for us - as odd as that sounds.  So we are afraid to set down the struggles and pick up something better.  We can't even imagine wha

I wonder how many people I've looked at all my life and never seen. John Steinbeck We can look at someone and not see them.  We can look straight at someone and see right through them.  I'm guilty of doing this.  I'm guilty of looking right through someone.  And guess what?  They know it, they can sense it.  And guess what else?  It communicates to that person that I don't think they have value or that they are worth really seeing.  Sometimes it is hard to really look at someone.  Sometimes their pain - internal and/or external - is hard to really see.  So we, okay I at least, look at them but blind my eyes to really seeing them.  If I see them then I have a responsibility to care, be involved.  And that can be really tough.  That's going to require time, energy, patience, sacrifice, and what else?  It's tough.  But to really see someone, to really look at them and all their pain is the better thing to do than to look through them.  To really see someone and

Everyone needs someone they can say ANYTHING to without the fear of rejection. BE that someone. Jamie The Very Worst Missionary Are you that someone?  Do you have that someone?  If you aren't that someone, why?  If you don't have that someone, why? To BE that someone you have to be able to speak truth in love .  You have to be willing to be a safe place.  You have to be willing to listen without trying to fix, without passing judgement, and without condemning. To HAVE that someone you have to be willing to hear truth, even when - or especially when - it stings.  You have to be willing to invite someone into your life that you know won't back down from your crappy moods and defensiveness.  You have to be willing to talk and be vulnerable. We need safety in our lives and we need people who will stand up and be that safe place for us and we need to be that safe place for others.  

You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family.   Trenton Lee Stewart I'm really blessed and I hope *you* are too.  I've got a great family and I've got great friends.  I've got framily.  I've got people in my life that aren't related to me by blood but by heart.  I've got people in my life who became family through shared experiences that served to knit our hearts together.  I've got family that I also call friend.  My life is richer for the framily I have.  I hope the same is true for *you*.   Do you have family?  Friends?  Framily?   Some, but certainly not all , of my framily.  <3  SO BLESSED!

You can’t become fully human and avoid gender, sexuality, money, politics, orientation, ecology, history, literature, economics, philosophy, etc. You cannot be a disciple of Jesus and protect pieces of your soul from his touch.   Jonalyn Fincher If you call yourself a follower of God, a disciple of Jesus, then you must allow yourself to observe all that this broken world has.  Jesus allowed himself to be confronted with the hard things of the time so that he could speak truth into those things.  As his disciples that is what he asks us to do as well.  To observe hard things doesn't mean we agree with them.  Jesus observed hard things and then spoke truth into them.  He didn't shrink back from hard things, he didn't protect his soul from the things and people that kept him from being fully human.  (Remember he was fully God but fully human as well.)  If we want to be called and known as  disciples  of Jesus then we have to be willing to expose our souls to his touch.  And

Satan seeks a gap called a grudge.   John Piper Last weekend I talked with the kids in my community about grudges.  In the lives of believers the enemy of our Creator, and therefore us, uses grudges to create divisions, gaps, unforgivenesss, rifts, jealousy, anger, bitterness, etc.  Wherever the enemy of our souls thinks he can wiggle in he will.  Wherever he thinks he can become an obstacle to right behavior,   healthy relationships,  and  God honoring lives he will.  He seeks weakness in us and takes advantage of it.  And we play into his hands when we allow the grudge that has been birthed to be fed, to grow, to masquerade as truth.  If he finds the gap in your life he will push it wider apart unless you are tuned in to his ways.  Don't allow grudges to be birthed in your life.  Don't allow them to be fed and grow and take over your demeanor and behaviors.  Once you are aware of a grudge in your life take care of it, close the gap it seeks to create before the enemy gets a