Thanks for the Wonder

Be thankful that life is a mystery.
There is so much we can never know.
Breathe deeply and relax into the not-knowing.
There is much that we do not have to know in order to live joyfully.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Mystery creates wonder,
and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand.
- Neil Armstrong

Uncertainty that comes from knowledge
(knowing what you don't know)
is different from uncertainty coming from ignorance.
- Isaac Asimov

As soon as man does not take his existence for granted,
but beholds it as something
unfathomably mysterious, thought begins.
- Albert Schweitzer

Further reading: Nothing is Certain

Childlike Wonder

Cherish Mystery

Magnificent Mystery
        

Take the First Step

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
- Lao Tzu (Chinese Proverb)

Believe in yourself,
in your vision for your future
and in your ability to take a small step
each day toward achieving your vision.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The first step towards the solution
of any problem is optimism.
- John Baines

Today... maybe I can take one step
on that profoundly complex path to peace.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

A little simplification would be
the first step toward rational living.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Further reading: The Edge of All You Know

How to Create a Great Future

The Jump is So Frightening - Mary Anne Radmacher

Boldly Sail the Storms of Life
      

No Bar to a Meeting of Hearts

I never considered a difference of opinion
in politics, in religion, in philosophy,
as cause for withdrawing from a friend.
- Thomas Jefferson

Why should it impede your happiness
for others to have differing views on politics or religion?
for others to paint their houses purple
or grow asparagus in place of a grassy lawn?
for others to dress, mingle, celebrate, or dine in their own manner?

The path to happiness is to live your life joyfully in your own way,
and to support and encourage others to do likewise.

One of the surest ways to cause
yourself great suffering
is to insist upon being right -
to demand that all others view life
exactly as you view it.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

We may have our private opinions
but why should they be a bar to the meeting of hearts?
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Further reading: Other People's Opinions

Categorizing People

5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Offering Helpful Advice

Different and yet the Same
       

One Small Candle

It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
- Chinese proverb often quoted by Eleanor Roosevelt

The unknown is like the darkness of a cave -
it can be illuminated by the brief light
of one adventurer's small candle.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times,
if one only remembers to turn on the light.
- J.K. Rowling

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.
- Aristotle Onassis

Further reading: Divine Spark

Create Light for Others

Dark Days
       

The Nature of Prayer

Who rises from prayer a better man, his prayer is answered.
- George Meredith

Never pray for justice, because you might get some.
- Margaret Atwood
[Consider how often the word "justice" really means "revenge."]

Our prayers should be for blessings in general,
for God knows best what is good for us.
- Socrates

I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered.
- Jean Ingelow

God Provides What You Need, Not What You Ask For.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

If God listened to the prayers of men,
all men would quickly have perished:
for they are forever praying for evil against one another.
- Epicurus

Further reading: Thank You Prayer

Choose To Be Fearless

Love even those who hate you
      

Freedom is the Right of Each to Their Own Way of Life

Freedom is the right to live as we wish.
- Epictetus
[and freedom is equally the right of others to live as they wish]

Love is the power to see similarity in the dissimilar.
- Theodor Adorno

We all live with the objective of being happy;
our lives are all different and yet the same.
- Anne Frank

People are pretty much alike.
It's only that our differences are more susceptible
to definition than our similarities.
- Linda Ellerbee

Further reading: One Human Race

The Nature of God

Condemn None
      

Follow Your Heart and Your Dream

I celebrate myself, and sing myself.
- Walt Whitman

When you follow your bliss,
doors will open for you
that wouldn't have opened for anyone else.
- Joseph Campbell

Follow that will and that way
which experience confirms to be your own.
- Carl Jung

If you get to the point where someone is telling you
that you are not great or not good enough,
just follow your heart
and don't let anybody crush your dream.
- Patti LaBelle

Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Further reading: Don't Settle for "Good Enough"

Choose to Follow Your Heart

Go Where There is No Path

Choosing Your Destination
    

Our Greatest Selves

Your success and happiness lies in you.
Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you
shall form an invincible host against difficulties.
- Helen Keller

If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life,
your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Only when life is difficult, are we challenged to become our greatest selves.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

When It’s Darkest, Men See the Stars.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Further reading: Is Hope Futile?

Nothing to look forward to?

Every Day, a New Day
       

Too Many Walls and Not Enough Bridges

When the winds of change blow,
some people build walls while others build windmills.
- Chinese Proverb

There are no constraints on the human mind,
no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our
progress except those we ourselves erect.
- Ronald Reagan

We build too many walls and not enough bridges.
- Isaac Newton

The walls we build around us
to keep sadness out
also keep out the joy.
- Jim Rohn

Kindness is the light that dissolves
all walls between souls, families, and nations.
- Paramahansa Yogananda

Photo is of the Berlin Wall in the 1960s.

Further reading: The Human Race is Our Family Circle

New Ideas

Perspective on Tradition: An Open Mind
              

Overcoming Frustration

Whether we allow external events to shape our lives
at a core level is very much within our own control.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Our fatigue is often caused not by work,
but by worry, frustration and resentment.
- Dale Carnegie

All that is necessary to break the spell
of inertia and frustration is this:
Act as if it were impossible to fail.
- Dorthea Brande

Fatigue makes cowards of us all.
- Vince Lombardi

It is hardly possible to build anything,
if frustration, bitterness and a mood of helplessness prevail.
- Lech Walesa

3 Rs that Plague Humanity - Regret, Resentment, and Revenge.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: How to Live a Stress-Free Life

How to Think Positive

Feeling Stuck?

Renew Yourself

Finding Peace in Forgiveness
      

Martin Luther King Day 2019

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - a United States Federal Holiday - is celebrated on the third Monday of January each year. Watch a video of his famous I have a Dream speech.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive.
He who is devoid of the power to forgive
is devoid of the power to love.
There is some good in the worst of us
and some evil in the best of us.
When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking.
There is an almost universal quest
for easy answers and half-baked solutions.
Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?
Expediency asks the question - is it politic?
Vanity asks the question - is it popular?
But conscience asks the question - is it right?
And there comes a time when one must take a position
that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular;
but one must take it BECAUSE it is right.
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Nothing in all the world is more dangerous
than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Further reading: The First Step in Faith

Hate Returns Upon Itself

Serve Others

Gaining Peace Through Peace
      

Pray in Devout Humility

The function of prayer is not to influence God,
but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.
- Soren Kierkegaard

Lord, grant comfort, joy and health
to those I call friend,
to those I call enemy,
and to those I have cursed by my indifference.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I offer my body, my mind
and any ability that I posses,
to be used by Thee, O Infinite Creator,
in whatever way Thou dost choose
to express Thyself through me.
I know that all work is Thy work,
and that no task is too difficult
or too menial when offered
to Thee in loving service.
- Paramahansa Yogananda

Today I offer a prayer of forgiveness:
forgive the pettiness of my ingratitude...
the absence of profound thankfulness.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

If I were to say, "God, why me?" about the bad things,
then I should have said, "God, why me?"
about the good things that happened in my life.
- Arthur Ashe

Further reading: Unanswered Prayers

Celebrate Rainbows and Butterflies - the Small Miracles of Our Life

Have a Conversation with God, Today

You have not been abandoned
      

New and Better Ways of Thinking and Doing

Those who can see value only in tradition,...
deny man's ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
- Stephen Bayley

The boldness of asking deep questions may require
unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.
- Brian Greene

In science the important thing is to modify and change
one's ideas as science advances.
- Herbert Spencer

Let no one think that flexibility
and a predisposition to compromise
is a sign of weakness or a sell-out.
- Paul Kagame

Be resolute in your goals, but flexible in your tactics.
There are times that call for repetition and perseverance;
and there are times that require new ways of thinking and doing.
The challenge is knowing one from the other.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: New Ideas

Be Flexible

Practice makes perfect - sometimes

I choose to adapt to the circumstances in which I find myself
       

Obstacles Offer Us Choices

We can let circumstances rule us,
or we can take charge and rule our lives from within.
- Earl Nightingale

Success is to be measured not so much
by the position that one has reached in life
as by the obstacles which he has overcome.
- Booker T. Washington

It is not because life is difficult
that we do not dare.
Life is difficult
because we do not dare.
- Seneca

We have a choice of how we view
the obstacles on our life path.
One choice makes us slaves to circumstance,
while the other empowers us, and motivates us
to follow our dreams - and our happiness.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Photo is of the Berlin Wall in the 1960s.

Further reading: Why is This Happening?

You Need Courage

Draw from Suffering
      

The Fun-House Mirrors Of Our Own Point Of View

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact.
Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.
- Marcus Aurelius

The dream you are living is your creation.
It is your perception of reality that you can change at any time.
- don Miguel Ruiz

Everyone believes that their beliefs are the right ones -
that is why they are called beliefs.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Get the facts first.
You can distort them later.
- Mark Twain

We see life through the fun-house mirrors of our own point-of-view.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Seek the Truth

Your world IS as you believe it is

Your Attitude is Your Window

Don't Be Too Sure
    

This Is Just The Nature Of Life, So I May As Well Enjoy It

Count your blessings - not your troubles.
- Dale Carnegie

Today I choose life.
Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy,
happiness, negativity, pain...
To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue
to make mistakes and choices -
today I choose to feel life,
not to deny my humanity but embrace it.
- Kevyn Aucoin

Hold on... Joyfully.
Holding-on does not have to be
a desperate teeth-gritting kind of holding-on.
Holding-on can be a joyful
"this is just the nature of Life,
so I may as well enjoy it"
kind of holding-on.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

You must understand the whole of life,
not just one little part of it.
That is why you must read,
that is why you must look at the skies,
that is why you must sing and dance,
and write poems
and suffer and understand,
for all that is life.
- Jiddu Krishnamurti

Further reading: Times of Trial and Suffering

Unbending

Why Me?

Fear of Suffering
      

Your Own Lingering Anger Can Destroy You

For every minute you remain angry,
you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Anger is often more hurtful than the injury that caused it.
- English Proverb

He who angers you conquers you.
- Elizabeth Kenny

You cannot hate other people without hating yourself.
- Oprah Winfrey

Being angry harms your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
You create stress in your life by getting angry,
and you can instantly remove
that stress by granting forgiveness.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal
with the intent of throwing it at someone else;
you are the one who gets burned.
- The Buddha

Further reading: Stop Anger Before it Stops You

Never Speak while Angry

A Reflection

Allow Love to Conquer Hate

Anger is Its Own Punishment

Revenge, the Deadliest Sin?
     

Deep Within Yourself

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.
- John Wooden

Go within every day and find the inner strength
so that the world will not blow your candle out.
- Katherine Dunham

What lies behind us and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nothing is more valuable than your self respect.
When you lose respect for yourself, you have lost everything.
Whatever it takes, and whoever you upset,
do what you know - deep inside - is the right thing.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

We all go through life bristling
at our external limitations,
but the most difficult chains
to break are inside us.
- Bradley Whitford

Further reading: Integrity

Conscience

Character
    

We Are Called To Rise Above Selfishness

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need
but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
- 1 John 3:17

Acting selfishly is human nature, and therefore forgivable.
Publicly advocating selfishness as a virtue in the name of Jesus is far worse.

Man should not consider his material possession his own,
but as common to all, so as to share them without hesitation when others are in need.
- Saint Thomas Aquinas

The only wealth which you will keep forever
is the wealth you have given away.
- Marcus Aurelius

Further reading: We Belong to Each Other

Giving Love and Comfort

Practicing Compassion

Giving of Yourself

The Power of Generosity
      

Savor Life's Small Pleasures

It is neither wealth nor splendor;
but tranquility and occupation which give you happiness.
- Thomas Jefferson

The secret to a joyful life is Simplicity -
saying NO to the latest this and the most glamorous that -
saying NO to chasing an overly-demanding career -
saying NO to the stressful demands upon your time and energy.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie


Life is made up of small pleasures.
Happiness is made up of those tiny successes.
The big ones come too infrequently.
And if you don't collect all these tiny successes,
the big ones don't really mean anything.
- Norman Lear

Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste
that they hurry past it.
- Soren Kierkegaard

Simple living is the way to happy living.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: The Serenity of Simple Pleasures

Live in Harmony

Let It Go
     

Open Yourself to the Light

Trust in the Light.
Darkness is not a force -
it is merely the absence of light.
Observe that when a light is brought to a dark place,
the darkness disappears.
Sadness is similar -
when joy is brought to suffering, the sadness disappears.
Open yourself to the Light!
Hold back nothing, Trust in the Light.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Exercise: Write your most worrisome trouble on a piece of paper and feed it to the fire. Send your troubles up in smoke. Breathe deeply and rejoice.

I will gather myself around my faith,
for light does the darkness most fear.
- Jewel

All the darkness of the world cannot
extinguish the light of a single candle,
yet one candle can illuminate all the darkness.
- Jewish Hanukah Prayer

Further reading: Feel Your Connection With the Infinite - a Meditation

Have a Conversation With God, Today

Radiate Light and Love

A Light from Within
      

Education is Learning How to Learn

Education is not the answer to the question.
Education is the means to the answer to all questions.
- William Allin

We Learn...
10% of what we read,
20% of what we hear,
30% of what we see,
50% of what we see and hear,
70% of what we discuss,
80% of what we experience,
95% of what we teach others.
- William Glasser

True learning is not about facts,
but about conscious appreciation of the experience of living.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Learning is the beginning of wealth.
Learning is the beginning of health.
Learning is the beginning of spirituality.
Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.
- Jim Rohn

Further reading: Learn Through Observation

Learn from Failure

Learn From History

Knowledge is Soon Changed
    

You are the Painter of Your Dreams

This world is but a canvas to our imagination.
- Henry David Thoreau

If we would guide by the light of reason we must let our minds be bold.
- Louis D. Brandeis

The heart, not the head, must be the guide.
- Arthur Erickson

Take a moment to sit back, close your eyes,
and visualize what you wish for the world,
what you wish for the future of humankind.

Imagine peace. Imagine love. Imagine oneness.
Imagine whatever most speaks to your heart.
Whatever you can imagine, you can accomplish.
The canvas of life awaits You -
the painter of your dreams.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Affirmation:
I boldly paint my dreams upon the canvas of my life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: Respect All Life

The Quiet Voice of Courage

How to Choose Your Life Purpose

Flexibility
    

Keep Faith in Humanity

You must not lose faith in humanity.
Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty,
the ocean does not become dirty.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

One way or another, we all have to find
what best fosters the flowering of our humanity
in this contemporary life,
and dedicate ourselves to that.
- Joseph Campbell

We cannot despair of humanity,
since we ourselves are human beings.
- Albert Einstein

A generous heart, kind speech,
and a life of service and compassion
are the things which renew humanity.
- The Buddha

Today's affirmation:
I choose acceptance and compassion toward all humanity.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

We are most like God when we forgive

We are One

Progress of the Human Mind
      

A Leap into the Unknown

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over,
it became a butterfly.
- Anonymous

Come to the edge
We can't. We're afraid
We can't. We will fall. Come to the edge
And they came. And he pushed them
And they flew
- Guillaume Apollinaire

The only way to discover the limits of the possible
is to go beyond them into the impossible.
- Arthur C. Clarke

Leap and the net will appear.
- John Burroughs

Today's affirmation:
When I Come To The Edge of the Familiar,
I Spread My Wings and Fly.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Further reading: The Edge of All You Know

Live Your Life Fully

Soar Your Spirit

Accepting Miracles

Goodness of Humanity

The Winds of Grace

Opportunity for Daily Thanksgiving
       

Understanding and Appreciating the Difference

There is a great difference between knowing and understanding:
you can know a lot about something and not really understand it.
- Charles Kettering

There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
- the character Morpheus in the movie The Matrix

Know the power of perspective.
Be a passionate observer of life.
See the events, feel the emotions,
and recognize the difference.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
- Reinhold Niebuhr (Serenity Prayer)

Further reading: Great Truths

Different and yet the Same

Consciously Choosing Your Truth
      

Breathe in Eternal Peace

Breathe deeply and slowly.
Let yourself become centered - shut out all distractions.
Breathe out your worries; empty your body of regrets and resentments.
Breathe in eternal peace; let your body fill with unconditional love.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

When you become centered, suddenly there is great freedom
because you know you are not the mind and you are not the body.
- Osho

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free.
Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing.
- Zhuangzi

A mind at peace, a mind centered and not focused on harming others,
is stronger than any physical force in the universe.
- Wayne Dyer

Further reading: Gratitude for THIS Moment

Conscious Breathing to Relieve Stress

Forgiveness: Path to Inner Peace

Breath by Breath
       

Don't Let Them Get Your Goat

The eyes of the cheerful and of the melancholy [person]
are fixed upon the same creation;
but very different are the aspects which it bears to them.
- Albert Pike

Let today be a day to take life less seriously.
Kick back, smile, laugh,
watch the busyness of the world from a quiet corner
and find joy in everything around you.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I am determined to be cheerful and happy
in whatever situation I may find myself.
For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness
is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.
- Martha Washington

Stay Happy, never let anyone get your goat.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Whether phrased as "push your buttons," "get your goat," "get you riled up," or "annoy you," it's no fun to be on the receiving end. How to cope?

1. Don't take it personally. Even when someone criticizes your actions or demeans your very nature, know that they are merely directing their inner turmoil in your direction. Someone else's opinion of you is mostly irrelevant, and basically none of your business. Don't assume that there is any validity to an accusation. Perhaps there is a valuable lesson buried inside the unkindness that merits objective consideration, but negative emotions are best just quickly discarded.

2. Look to the positive people in your life for support. If you balance many positive and supportive friends against one or two negative influences, it is much easier to cope. If you don't currently have enough positive people in your life, begin a focused effort to add positive people to your inner circle.

3. Remove negative people from your life. Yes you can, even if it's your boss. You don't need that job so much that it's worth your health or happiness. Everything in life is a choice. Sometimes making a change is important, while other times just knowing that you hold the power to make a different choice is enough.

4. Forgive the offender, not for their sake, but for your own sake. The act of forgiving releases your anger and provides space for rational thinking and action.

5. Be grateful for the wake-up call. Any time that someone or something grabs your attention is a good time to be grateful - even if the message is unpleasant. Something is happening that requires your conscious awareness. Perhaps you have a lesson to learn or an action to take. Perhaps it is time to remove another negative influence from your life.

6. Release any expectations that the unkind person should have acted differently. Life is not fair, and you only cause yourself unhappiness if you hold an expectation that life or any individual *should* be fair or kind.

Read Stop Anger Before It Stops You - 7 Secrets for more ways to cope with anger.

Further reading: Choose to Soar

Ten Little Tips to Feel Happier Right Now

The Wisdom of Patience

Creating Happiness
        

Keep Company With People Who Uplift You

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you,
whose presence calls forth your best.
- Epictetus

Be careful the friends you choose - for you will become like them.
- W. Clement Stone

When you choose your friends, don't be short-changed
by choosing personality over character.
- W. Somerset Maugham

Confidence is contagious.
So is lack of confidence.
- Vince Lombardi

Life is partly what we make it,
and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.
- Tehyi Hsieh

Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand,
the spines of others are often stiffened.
- Billy Graham

Further reading: Choosing Your Friends

Happy Friends - Happy You

What If Happiness...

Radiate Your Happiness to the World

Happiness in Cheering Others
               

Laugh, Play, Work, Pray, Live Fully

Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,
But has trouble enough of its own.
- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Take time to play!
Ask for what you want.
Laugh.
Live loudly.
Be avid.
Learn a new thing.
Be Yourself!
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Take time to laugh.
It is the music of the soul.
Take time to think.
It is the source of power.
Take time to play.
It is the source of perpetual youth.
Take time to read.
It is the fountain of wisdom.
Take time to pray.
It is the greatest power on Earth.
Take time to love and be loved.
It is a God-given privilege.
Take time to be friendly.
It is the road to happiness.
Take time to give.
It is too short a day to be selfish.
Take time to work.
It is the price of success.
- Anonymous

Further reading: Don't Fight Against Time

How to Stay Young

Time is What We Make of It
   

New Year's Day 2019

Happy New Year! Happy New Beginning!
Today, the year is a newborn.
How will we choose to dress it, to feed it, to teach it, to learn from it?

To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1

This bright new year is given me
To live each day with zest
To daily grow and try to be
My highest and my best.
- William Arthur Ward

Don't Wait!
Start on your dreams, your impulses,
your longings, your special occasions today.
Because this is your moment.
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Further reading: The First Day

New Years Resolutions

Old Beginnings versus NEW beginnings

A Better Plan 

Renewal and Rebirth - The Great Cycle