Thoughts ...

Among the things you can give away but still keep, are your word, a smile, & a grateful heart!!!
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"Parents have the glorious opportunity of being the most powerful influence, above and beyond any other, on the new lives that bless their homes." - L. Tom Perry
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BE STILL

One of my favorite things I enjoy doing is walking the beach. My favorite memory of time spent with my dad was going to the beach with him. When I was little, he would wake me up early on a Saturday morning and say, "let's go to the beach." We would go and walk forever, it seems, and I would have to almost run to keep up with him. Today, I still enjoy walking the beach (and my legs are a little longer now so I don't have to run! :) unless I want to!) Going to the beach is a way I get away from all the noise and busy-ness and it's just me and God. Sometimes I enjoy looking out over the ocean just day-dreaming, sometimes deep thinking, sometimes praying, and sometimes just listening to God, asking Him to reveal something in my life. I do my best thinking on the beach. And I do some of my best praying and "listening" on the beach.

Be still and listen to Him, get to know God. "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10


ATTITUDE
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.

The remarkable thing is - we have a choice every day of our lives regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

I'm convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you.

We are in charge of our attitudes." - Charles Swindoll


LIVE WELL, LAUGH OFTEN, LOVE MUCH

"He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much; who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children; who has filled his niche and accomplished his task; who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul; who has never lacked appreciation of earth's beauty or failed to express it; who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had; whose life was an inspiration; whose memory is a benediction." - Bessie Stanley

"Use what talent you possess. The woods would be silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." - Henry Van Dike

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
– Mark Twain

"Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction." John F. Kennedy

One morning you will never wake up. Do all your friends know you love them? I could die today, tomorrow or next week, and I wondered if I had any wounds needing to be healed, friendships that needed rekindling or three words needing to be said. Let every one of your friends know you love them. Even if you think they don't love you back, you would be amazed at what those three little words and a smile can do. Live today to the fullest because tomorrow is not promise!!! - author unknown

Live A Life That Matters

Ready or not, Someday it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises,no minutes, hours, or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten,

will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.

It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?

How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built;

not what you got, but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion,

courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others

to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you are gone.

What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.

It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

-Arthur Unknown
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MY FAVORITE MOVIE QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"Life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences but rather it's a tapestry of events that culminate in an exquisite sublime plan."

"We think that by hating someone we hurt them. But hatred is a curved blade and the harm that we do to others, we also do to ourselves." - Five People You meet In Heaven.

"Nobody's born with anger. We build it over the years with the things we don't say, with the things we bury." - Five People You meet In Heaven.

Tomorrow is what you make of it".
"It's not what others think about you that matters, it's what you know in your heart about yourself that really matters."-David Caruso as Lieutenant Horatio Caine in C.S.I. Miami

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"Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option."- Grabielita

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." - John Wooden

"He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away." - Raymond Hull

"Good Character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character by contrast, is not given to us.
We have to build it piece by piece -- by thought, choice, courage and determination." John Luther

"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." - Frank Outlaw

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." ~Unknown
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Love is not about finding the right person, but creating a right relationship with the person you find. It's not about how much love you have in the beginning but how much love you build till the end. Love is when two people join together and make each other better people for having the other in their life. Love is like ice-cream; enjoy it before it melts.

LOVE is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not SELF-SEEKING, it is not easily angered, it keeps NO records of WRONGS. Love does NOT delight in EVIL but REJOICES with the TRUTH. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. LOVE NEVER FAILS. These three remain forever: faith, hope and love. But the GREATEST of these is LOVE.

This LOVE gives us life.

My goal in life is to live a life of LOVE.

The three grand essentials of happiness: something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for. – Thomas Calmers

Happiness is inward and not outward; and so it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are. – Henry Van Dyke

Our greatness rests solely on the fact that God in His incomprehensible goodness has bestowed His love on us. God does not love us because we are so valuable; we are valuable because God loves us. – Helmut Thielicke

Kind words are jewels that live in the heart and soul and remain as blessed memories years after they have been spoken. - Marvea Johnson

We do not understand the intricate pattern of the stars in their courses, but we know that He who created them does, and that just as surely as He guides them, He is charting a safe course for us. - Billy Graham

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. - Philipians 4:4-9 (THE BIBLE - NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION)