I Am Hard to Handle

Marilyn Monroe has the best quotes!!!

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring."

"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world."

"Ever notice how 'What the hell' is always the right answer?"

"We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets."

"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition."

"Youer than You"

‎"Today you are You, 

that is truer than true. 

There is no one alive,

who is Youer than you." 

Dr. Seuss

What a great quote!  Dr. Seuss had the absolute best-ever quotes and insights -- all uniquely hidden within children's book.  Have you ever read "My Many Colored Days" (my all-time favorite childrens book) or "Oh, the Places You'll Go"?  How about "Bartolomew and the Oobleck" or "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins"?  LOVE ALL OF THEM!  


Go forth and explore all of life's meanings by re-reading all of Dr. Seuss' prolific writings.  Start by introducing your wee ones to the Seussville website.

Undeserving Grace

“I hear religious minded people say all the time with good intentions.

‘God will never place a burden on you so heavy that you cannot possibly carry it.’

Really?!

My experience is that God will place a burden on you so heavy that you cannot possibly carry it alone. He will break your back and your will. He will buckle your legs until you fall flat beneath the crushing weight of your load. All the while He will walk beside you waiting for you to come to the point where you must depend on Him.

‘My power is made perfect in your weakness,’ He says, as we strain under our burden.

Whatever the burden, it might indeed get worse, but know this-God is faithful. And while we change and get old, He does not. When we get weaker, He remains strong. And in our weakness and humility, He offers us true, lasting, transforming, and undeserved grace.”

-Greg Lucas

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Recently, it's been easy to feel overwhelmed by life and the many difficult choices that it's been necessary to make. The above line "He will break your back and your will. He will buckle your legs until you fall flat beneath the crushing weight of your load. All the while He will walk beside you waiting for you to come to the point where you must depend on Him."  really hits home.

There have been many times over my 30+ years when I have all but cursed God for my heavy burdens.  Yet, He is a faithful, forgiving, loving God who always takes me back.  My Mighty Redeemer never turns his back on me.  And I cling to this awesome truth: ‘My power is made perfect in your weakness."

Shalom! Namaste!

Greek to Me

I LOVE the movie, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."  It's awesome!

Toula Portokalos: "Ma, Dad is so stubborn. What he says goes. 'Ah, the man is the head of the house!'" 
Maria Portokalos: "Let me tell you something, Toula. The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants."

Energy

"Sometimes, when we are discouraged by a difficult situation, anger does seem helpful, appearing to bring more energy, confidence and determination. And while it is true that anger brings extra energy, it eclipses the best part of our brain: its rationality. So the energy of anger is almost always unreliable. It can cause an immense amount of destructive, unfortunate behavior."

— The Dalai Lama

I have often been mislead by my own anger or my friends' anger and thought to myself: "Hey, it's better than depression!"

My bad.

I suppose it's always better to sit and ponder something than it is to react without thinking. Always!  But funny how when you're in reaction mode, it seems so brilliant and empowering...

Oh snap!

Road

"Strong and content I travel the open road."

Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road

Security

"Security is an illusion. Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing at all."

~ Helen Keller

Quote of the Week

Sometimes questions are more important than answers.

~ Nancy Willard


See yesterdays quote...

Little Deaf

"The secret to a happy marriage is it helps to be a little deaf. That works with my colleagues on the Supreme Court too."

~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg

(I LOVE this woman! She rocks and I wish she would stay on the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court forever and ever and ever and ever...)

Too Long

Great quote that I am trying to believe in...

"Depression is not a sign of weakness,
but a sign of someone who has tried
to be too strong for too long."

~ Author Unknown

Key to Success

Transcend

“When you are inspired by some great purpose,

some extraordinary project,

all your thoughts break their bonds:

Your mind transcends limitations,

your consciousness expands in every direction, and

you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.

Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and

your discover yourself to be a greater person by far

than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

~Patanjali

Hazy

Albert Einstein once said:

"A question that sometimes drive me hazy:

Am I or are they crazy?"

I find myself asking the same question...

Me? or Them?!

Master & Captain

“I am the Master of my Fate .... I am the Captain of my Soul...”

-Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in Invictus

These are very powerful words to live by and certainly, applicable in every aspect of one's life -- from our daily conflicts to make conscious choices between right and wrong or through the ebb and flow of the cycles of life. Those words and the powerful message they contain reflect the freedom of choice each of us has. More often than not, we have little control over the circumstances we face, but we certainly can control our reaction to those circumstances.

I understand this realization isn't novel or ground breaking. It's mean more as a simple reminder to ME that regardless of what I face, the response is within me. I can chose to show grace under fire, tranquility alongside adversity or absolute fury. I guess this quote was just one of those empowering a-ha! messages that struck a cord within me. A powerful string of words and important reminder to CHOOSE MY ATTITUDE!

Pleasure

Fortune Cookie

The pleasure of what we enjoy

is lost by wanting more.

My New Mantra

Peace.

It doesn't mean to be in
a place where there is
no noise,
trouble, or
hard work.

It means to be in the midst
of those things and
still be calm in your heart.

~ Author Unknown

Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Man is man because he is free to operate

within the framework of his destiny.

He is free to deliberate, to make decisions, and

to choose between alternatives.

He is distinguished from animals by his freedom

to do evil or to do good and

to walk the high road of beauty or

tread the low road of ugly degeneracy.

Martin Luther King, Jr., The Measures of Man, 1959

Today we celebrate the birthday of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.. He was a phenomenal, iconic leader whose life was tragically and abruptly ended much too early by a hateful man. Today, let us remember some of MLK's greatest accomplishments and honor him by volunteering in our local communities.

http://www.mlkonline.net/

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html

http://myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=ml_king2_ul_montvale

http://www.mlkday.gov/

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.... The chain reaction of evil--hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.

Opportunity

"We will open the book.
Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words
on them ourselves.

The book is called Opportunity and
its first chapter is New Year's Day."

~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Miracle

As much as I dislike the colder weather that comes with autumn, I adore the gorgeous sunrises. Look at the beautiful hot pink and lavender! Unfortunately, it's not a fabulous picture. But you get the idea...


"We can only appreciate the miracle of a sunrise
if we have waited in the darkness."
~ Author Unknown

Notice It

Life is full of beauty.

Notice it.

Notice the bumble bee,

the small child and

the smiling faces.

Smell the rain and

feel the wind.

Live your life to the

fullest potential and

fight for your dreams.

~Ashley Smith