life: acoustic & amplified

poetry, quotes & thoughts about life

Archive for the category “Relationships”

what do we control? the most important thing! our attitude!

You may not control all the events that happen to you,

but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

– Maya Angelou

 

But exactly the same thing will finally happen to all of us,

whether we live right and respect God or sin and don’t respect God.

As long as we are alive, we still have hope….

Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,

and let me not be put to shame in my hope!

Ecclesiastes 9:2,4; Psalm 119:116

 

Maritta Terrell
Thoughts are also posted at:
http://thoughtsaday.blogspot.com/

All the Hemispheres

 Hafez

by Paulo Coelho on August 26, 2010

Leave the familiar for a while. Let your senses and bodies stretch outLike a welcomed season Onto the meadows and shores and hills.

Open up to the Roof. Make a new water-mark on your excitement And love.

Like a blooming night flower, Bestow your vital fragrance of happiness And giving Upon our intimate assembly.

Change rooms in your mind for a day.

All the hemispheres in existence Lie beside an equator In your heart.

Greet Yourself In your thousand other forms As you mount the hidden tide and travel Back home.

All the hemispheres in heaven Are sitting around a fire Chatting

While stitching themselves together Into the Great Circle inside of You.

_______________________________

Hāfez (1325/26–1389/90) was a Persian poet. From: ‘The Subject Tonight is Love’

http://paulocoelhoblog.com

Creator of the Universe,

Loving Mystery, Womb of Silence,
you have brought me out of the narrows

into a broad and spacious place.
I will not return to confinement,

but remain here in your generous freedom.
I guard the silence at the center;

I hold the moment empty and open.
I breathe in,

and make sanctuary in my body for you.
I make room in my thoughts

for you to enter and be at peace.
I offer openings in my day,

where you may rest.
I create space in my living

for you alone.
I enter the holy of holies

where you make of this moment
the void of Creation,

the gift of Sabbath.

Amen.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net

presume love

20120812-085340.jpg

You should never be surprised when someone treats you with respect, you should expect it. – Sarah Dessen

We don’t deny the negative, we just put it in the proper context as being miracles for our own growth. – Mastin Kipp

Everything you take for granted is a blessing. Everything you fear is a friend in disguise. Everything you want is a part of you. Everything you hate you hate about yourself. Everything you own does not define you. Everything you feel is the only Truth there is to know.

Everything you wish for is already on its way to you. Everything you think creates your life. Everything you seek for you will find. Everything you resist will stick around. Everything you let go of stays if it’s supposed to. Everything you need is right where you are.

Every time you bless another your bless yourself. Every time you blame another you lose your power. Every time you think you can, you can. Every time you fall you must get up and try again. Every time you cry you’re one tear closer to joy. Every time you ask for forgiveness, all you have to do is forgive yourself.

Everyone you see is your reflection. Everyone you know mirrors you. Everyone wants to be happy. Everyone wants to live in joy. Everyone seeks a higher purpose. Everyone breathes the same breath. Everyone needs love to survive. Everyone has a purpose to fulfill.

Everyone’s the same as everyone else. We just get caught up in labels, names, skin color and religion. Everyone’s the same as everyone else. No one wants to feel the pain. Everyone’s the same as everyone else. Everyone is dying for love to remain.
– Jackson Kiddard

Via The Daily Love
www.thedailylove.com

overwhelmed with love

To be peaceful is to be free from expectations and to want nothing from anyone. Take the initiative and be generous. Lead the way and do something. This is the secret to being content in all circumstances.                                                                    – unknown

I am walking through a difficult part of the path right now, and yet it is a really peaceful time as well. The past 22 years have brought me to this moment, and all is well with my soul.

My faith has been tested in the fire and is not a theory! It is real, intimate, living, breathing life in me. The shadow of Jesus, who for so long I could not identify with, has become the true lover of my soul, my best friend, my peace, my joy, my everything. No one can take away what I have experienced in these years, it has been an incredible revelation of God.

I feel I am, once again, at a beginning. It is exciting. It is overwhelming. As I keep letting go, this wave of love is washing over me, and it is truly pure joy. I am overwhelmed with love.

I am on a walk of faith, like others before, and with me in this present moment. I do not see the path ahead as of yet, yet I have great peace because I know the way is there waiting for me as I walk forward into life, purpose, mission, music, community.

I wish I had more to bring, but all I can do is bring a love song which is my desire to obey, even when it’s hard, even when I don’t see the way, or completely understand the why. It really is just my reasonable service for all that God has done for me.

To God alone be the glory!

http://play.simpletruths.com/movie/finding-joy-v/?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_-FR-_-08.03.12-_-FJOYmovie-USCAXX-&utm_source=CheetahMail&utm_campaign=FJOYmovie

Don’t get bogged down with all the details of how it’s going to come together. Just do the dishes. And watch the momentum build. – Brian J

Here are ten things to do even if others judge you for it:

1.Take care of yourself. – Your relationship with yourself is the closest and most important relationship you will ever have.  If you don’t take good care of yourself, then you can’t take good care of others either; which is why taking care of yourself is the best selfish thing you can do.  Read The Mastery of Love.

2.Do what you know is right, for YOU. – Don’t be scared to walk alone, and don’t be scared to like it.  Don’t let anyone’s ignorance, drama, or negativity stop you from being the best you can be.  Keep doing what you know in your heart is right, for you.  Because when you are totally at peace within yourself, nothing can shake you.

3.Follow your own unique path. – Every new day is a chance to change your life.  Work on making life all that you want it to be.  Work hard for what you believe, and keep your dreams big and your worries small.  You never need to carry more than you can hold; just take it one day at a time.  And while you’re out there making decisions instead of excuses, learning new things, and getting closer and closer to your goals, know that there are others out there, like me, who admire your efforts and are striving for greatness too.

4.Lock yourself away from the world and work on your goals. – Dream big dreams, but realize that short term, realistic goals are the key to success.  Success is directly connected with daily action.  The way we spend our time defines who we are.  Successful people keep moving, by doing small things every day that bring them a couple steps closer to their dream.  They make mistakes along the way, but they don’t quit – they learn and press on.  Read Getting Things Done.

5.Adjust your goals and dreams as life changes. – A great deal of pain in life comes from having a specific dream that you’ve fallen in love with, and when it doesn’t work out exactly as planned, you become angry that you now have to pursue a different path.  If you want to tame your inner demons and make the most of life, you must not become rigidly attached to just one specific dream, and remain open to there being an even better, equally as happy path ahead.  Life is unpredictable, but it provides plenty of opportunities to make dreams come true.  Just don’t forget that sometimes taking a positive step forward requires you to slightly adjust your dreams, or plan new ones – it’s OK to change your mind or have more than one dream.

6.Forgive those who have wronged you. – Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.  Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong and wise.  Forgiveness allows you to focus on the future without combating the past.  To understand the potential of everything going forward is to forgive everything already behind you.  Without forgiveness, wounds can never be healed, and moving on can never be accomplished.  What happened in the past is just one chapter.  Don’t close the book, just turn the page.

7.Show everyone your love and kindness. – If you are reserving your love only for those who you have decided are worthy of it – all strangers excluded – it may come as a surprise to learn that this is not love at all, it is called judgment.  Judgment is selective, love is all embracing.  Just as the sunlight and the wind do not discriminate, true love does not make any such distinctions either.  Love and kindness is a way of living.  Where there is love, there is no judgment.  Where there is judgment, there is no love.  Read The 5 Love Languages.

8.Stand up for others, even if it’s the unpopular thing to do. – Sometimes you will say something really small and simple, but it will fit right into an empty space in someone’s heart.  Dare to reach into the darkness, to pull someone else into the light.  Remember, strong people stand up for themselves, but stronger people stand up for others too, and lend a hand when they’re able.

9.Fight through your failures. – When you are feeling down or dealing with failure, don’t be ashamed.  There’s nothing to be ashamed of.  You are going through a difficult time, and you are still pushing forward.  That’s something to be proud of – that you are fighting through it and slowly rising above it.  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.

10.Keep your head held high and keep on smiling. – Every day of your life is a page of your history.  The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them.  Don’t cry over the past, cry to get over the past.  Don’t smile to hide the pain, smile to heal the pain.  Don’t think of all the sadness in the world, think of all the beauty that still remains around you.

http://www.marcandangel.com/2012/08/01/10-things-to-do-even-if-they-judge-you/#more-493

well done

These days Olympic athletes are vying for gold medals, which only the very best will get. Although I’m not really into sports, I love watching people do things—almost anything—really, really well. Doing something excellently gives a dimension of beauty to it that makes it a joy to behold.

Sometimes new Olympic events are added, but some things you can never turn into a competition. It’s too bad there aren’t more gold medals anyway, some way of saying, “That was splendid!” I know a woman who was abused as a child—terribly—but she turned out OK. It took a lot of therapy, bad turns, good friends and self-discipline, but here she is with no bitterness, fear or self-loathing, and a lot of tenderness and wisdom. She ought to get a gold medal.

A friend of mine is exceedingly good at paying attention, listening with a deep, compassionate heart. There’s no medal for that. A kid in my church asks the best questions in the world. She should at least be in the running for a bronze. Someone can stop in perfect wonder at the shape and glory of a cloud. Another is always honestly encouraging. I know someone who can cry at the drop of a hat. There’s an old guy I know who’s almost always grumpy and cynical, but he’s 94 and he keeps going. Give the guy a medal. A newborn baby just lies there. Eats a little, poops and sleeps. Doesn’t even smile yet. And you can see the gold medal shining in her parent’s eyes.

Ephesians 4 says to “live a life worthy of your calling.” It says God gives each of us different gifts for building up the Body of Christ. We all contribute something to the community. You life’s work is to find out what your calling is, what your own gifts are. There are an infinite number of “Olympic events.”

And there are an infinite number of gold medals. “Each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” Christ’s gift is infinite. God’s grace is a gold medal for everyone, not for an outstanding accomplishment, not for being better than others, but just for being ourselves.

Discover what is is to be yourself, to live out the gifts God gives you. There’s no competition; nobody in the world can do it like you. Nobody. There won’t be a medal you can hang in your trophy case. But it will be beautiful, and a joy to behold. And whatever it is to be you, just to be you, know that it gives God that great smile of the coach whose favorite athlete has just won the gold.

__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
http://www.unfoldinglight.net

do not worry…

 

 

 

Matthew 6:25-34

New International Version (NIV)

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry   about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.   Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor   was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom   and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Change the changeable,

accept the unchangeable,

and remove yourself from the unacceptable.

Denis Waitley

 

Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world,

but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

Then you will be able to know the will of God-

-what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.

Romans 12:2

Maritta Terrell
http://thoughtsaday.blogspot.com/

 

Fear is the thief of dreams – unknown

When nothing is sure, anything is possible.   – Margaret Drabble

Post Navigation