Month: April 2016

He Gathers Every Teardrop

He Gathers Every Teardrop

~ Author Unknown

Regardless of the circumstance,
Regardless of the fear,
Regardless of the pain we bear,
Regardless of the tear.

Our God is ever in control,
Performing as He should,
And He has promised in His Word
To work things for our good.

But as a loving Father would,
He sometimes lets us cry
To cleanse the hurt out of our heart,
To wash it from our eye.

Yet gently gathers the tears
Within His hands to stay
Until He turns them into pearls,
and gives them back someday.

          God didn’t promise us a life free of pain and suffering.  Instead, he promised that he would never forsake us.   So, this means there will be times in life where we suffer unimaginable sorrow and devastation.  But, it is during these moments when you are facing your darkest hour that you must have faith that God has a plan for you.  Your pain has a purpose – your soul is being laid bare to prepare it for new love and joy that is coming your way.  God is always in control.  So, when your life begins spinning out of control, grab hold of God, our anchor, and have faith that better days are coming.

Don’t Look Back

Don’t Look Back

~ Author Unknown

As you travel through life there are always those times
When decisions just have to be made,
When the choices are hard, and solutions seem scarce,
And the rain seems to soak your parade.

There are some situations where all you can do
Is simply let go and move on,
Gather your courage and choose a direction
That carries you toward a new dawn.

Perhaps you’ll find comfort in knowing your friends
Are supportive of all that you do,
And believe that whatever decisions you make,
They’ll be the right choices for you.

So keep putting one foot in front of the other,
And taking your life day by day…
There’s a brighter tomorrow that’s just down the road –
Don’t look back! You’re not going that way!

             You can’t spend your life constantly second guessing decisions you made 5 minutes ago, 5 days ago or 5 years ago.  What’s done is done.  You can’t change what happened yesterday, but you can change what happens tomorrow because those pages of your story have yet to be written.  So, instead of continually looking over your shoulder at the path you have already traveled, you must choose to look ahead toward the path that has yet to be broken.

This Too Shall Pass

This Too Shall Pass

~ Helen Steiner Rice

If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be-

If I can remain calm and quiet
With all the world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me-

If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too-

Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all of the chains

That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear-
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.

         When you are going through hell, it is so hard to imagine better days ahead.  You feel broken and alone.  It is in these moments that you need to focus on surviving the next minute, hour, day, week, and so on.  As time progresses, you will begin to realize that the storm clouds will recede and even though you may be a little worse for wear, you will survive the storm.  So, it is when you are at your lowest that you must have faith that no matter how long the night, the dawn will break.

Slow Down

Slow Down

~ David L. Weatherford

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,
or listened to rain slapping the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight,
or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down,
don’t dance so fast,
time is short, the music won’t last.

Do you run through each day on the fly,
when you ask “How are you?”
do you hear the reply?
When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed,
with the next hundred chores running through your head?

You better slow down,
don’t dance so fast
time is short, the music won’t last.

Ever told your child,
we’ll do it tomorrow,
and in your haste, not seen his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
let a good friendship die,
’cause you never had time to call and say “hi”.

You better slow down,
don’t dance so fast
time is short, the music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere,
you miss half the fun of getting there,
When you worry and hurry though your day,
it is like an unopened gift thrown away.
Life is not a race,
so take it slower,
hear the music before the song is over.

         Although it is important to have long-term goals to work toward, you have to remember to take time to slow down and enjoy the ride.   You will never get these moments back.  And, you can’t live your life simply waiting to get to the finish line, while ignoring everything you pass along the way.  Because one day, you will realize that the journey often eclipses the destination itself.

                So, don’t let life pass you by without slowing down to take in the sights around each bend.

60 Things That Are Happening Right Now

60 Things That Are Happening Right Now

~ Author Unknown

  1. Somebody is very proud of you.
  2. Somebody is thinking of you.
  3. Somebody is caring about you.
  4. Somebody misses you.
  5. Somebody wants to talk to you.
  6. Somebody wants to be with you.
  7. Somebody hopes you aren’t in trouble.
  8. Somebody is thankful for the support you have provided.
  9. Somebody wants to hold your hand.
  10. Somebody hopes everything turns out all right.
  11. Somebody wants you to be happy.
  12. Somebody wants you to find him/her.
  13. Somebody is celebrating your successes.
  14. Somebody wants to give you a gift.
  15. Somebody thinks that you ARE a gift.
  16. Somebody hopes you’re not too cold, or too hot
  17. Somebody wants to hug you.
  18. Somebody loves you.
  19. Somebody admires your strength.
  20. Somebody is thinking of you and smiling.
  21. Somebody wants to be your shoulder to cry on.
  22. Somebody wants to go out with you and have a lot of fun.
  23. Somebody thinks the world of you.
  24. Somebody wants to protect you.
  25. Somebody would do anything for you.
  26. Somebody wants to be forgiven.
  27. Somebody is grateful for your forgiveness.
  28. Somebody wants to laugh with you.
  29. Somebody remembers you and wishes that you were there.
  30. Somebody is praising God for you.
  31. Somebody needs to know that your love is unconditional.
  32. Somebody values your advice.
  33. Somebody wants to tell you how much they care.
  34. Somebody wants to share their dreams with you.
  35. Somebody wants to hold you in their arms.
  36. Somebody wants YOU to hold them in your arms.
  37. Somebody treasures your spirit.
  38. Somebody wishes they could STOP time because of you.
  39. Somebody praises God for your friendship and love.
  40. Somebody can’t wait to see you.
  41. Somebody loves you for who you are.
  42. Somebody loves the way you make them feel.
  43. Somebody wants to be with you.
  44. Somebody wants you to know they are there for you.
  45. Somebody is glad that you’re his/her friend.
  46. Somebody wants to be your friend.
  47. Somebody stayed up all night thinking about you.
  48. Somebody is alive because of you.
  49. Somebody is wishing that you noticed him/her.
  50. Somebody wants to get to know you better.
  51. Somebody wants to be near you.
  52. Somebody misses your advice/guidance.
  53. Somebody has faith in you.
  54. Somebody trusts you.
  55. Somebody needs your support.
  56. Somebody needs you to have faith in them.
  57. Somebody will cry when they read this.
  58. Somebody needs you to let them be your friend.
  59. Somebody hears a song that reminds them of you.
  60. Somebody needs you to send this to them.

You are loved.  You are not invisible.  You have a purpose.  You were born to shine.  You are beautiful.  You are enough.

Never Let Anyone Tell You Differently. . .

You Matter!

To Live Is A Privilege

It is a glorious privilege to live, to know, to act, to listen, to behold, to love.  To look up at the blue summer sky; to see the sun sink slowly beyond the line of the horizon; to watch the worlds come twinkling into view, first one by one, and the myriads that no man can count, and lo! the universe is white with them; and you and I are here.

~ Marco Morrow

         Each day you should strive to live life to the fullest.  Take joy in the simple things, such as a bird taking flight, a cool summer breeze and beautiful sunlight warming your skin.  These are all life’s miracles that surround us each and every day – if you only take a moment to really look and just feel.  So, each day, no matter what is going on, take a minute to breathe deeply and simply exist in the moment.

Unconquerable Soul

Invictus

by W.E. Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

         When the storm clouds roll in and the darkness envelopes your soul, it often feels like the rain will never let up.  You see no way out.  But, it is at these moments when you are at your lowest that you must remember that even though your body may be broken, your spirit will never be defeated.  You, and only you, are the master of your fate . . . the captain of your soul.  So, go calmly into the night, unafraid of what awaits you for you have an unconquerable soul.

Focus on the Good in Life

I have told you of the man who always put on his spectacles when about to eat cherries, in order that the fruit might look larger and more tempting.  In like manner I always make the most of my enjoyments, and, though I do not cast my eyes away from troubles, I pack them into as small a compass as I can for myself, and never let them annoy others.

~ Robert Southey

        Finding happiness in this life largely boils down to how you approach the daily ins and outs that we all face.  If you choose to treat every problem, obstacle and roadblock you encounter with a pessimistic attitude while always expecting the worse – you will find yourself living quite a bleak, joyless life with nothing to look forward to but more despair and heartache.  But, if you instead choose to approach all facets of life with a can-do attitude grounded in the ideal that no matter what cards you’re dealt, you will strive to play the best hand you can and make the most out of every minute of every day – you will begin to feel joy in the simple act of living.

Waiting

Waiting . . .

by John Burroughs

Serene, I fold my hands and wait,
Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea;
I rave no more ‘gainst time or fate,
For lo! my own shall come to me.

I stay my haste, I make delays,
For what avails this eager pace?
I stand amid the eternal ways,
And what is mine shall know my face.

Asleep, awake, by night or day,
The friends I seek are seeking me;
No wind can drive my bark astray,
Nor change the tide of destiny.

What matter if I stand alone?
I wait with joy the coming years;
My heart shall reap where it hath sown,
And garner up its fruit of tears.

The waters know their own and draw
The brook that springs in yonder height;
So flows the good with equal law
Unto the soul of pure delight.

The stars come nightly to the sky;
The tidal wave unto the sea;
Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high,
Can keep my own away from me.

            Have Patience and Faith that in the end things will work out.

         It is often difficult to accept our circumstances.  To know that you have done all that you can and all you can do now is be patient and wait for the chips to fall as they may.  But, it is at these times when you have to have faith that everything will work out. . .that sometimes it takes time for life to unfold the way it is meant to.  And, during these moments when you begin to doubt and question the path you are on, you must take a deep breath, stay the course and simply let life happen.

The Brilliant Light from Within

“It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed.”

– Doe Zantamata

          I picked this particular quote because it not only encapsulates our daily inner struggles, but also provides hope that even in our darkest hours, there is light.  As we go through struggles, it is so hard to see outside our own self-imposed, yes self-imposed, bubble of misery.  It is so easy to just sit and wallow in our despair and utter sense of hopelessness.  I get it.  I have been to the fiery pits of utter despair and desolation.  I have stood on the shore of self-doubt and self-recrimination.  And through it all, I have discovered an inner strength that I never knew existed.  I realize now that this inner strength and light is within each of us.  No matter what we go through in life, no matter how painful and devastating, our candle, the light of our soul, will never be extinguished.  It may be masked, but never gone.  It is and has always been there, waiting for the day when you can open you heart and let it shine.