Christmastime Quote

Years ago I sent out a darling Mary Englebreit card for Christmas with the following on the front:

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

- Charles Dickens

It instantaneously became one of my all-time favorite holiday quotes.  I love it so much that I keep it up in my kitchen year-round as a friendly, heart-warming reminder.  Besides, it lets me keep at least a little bit of Christmas up in my house the other 11 months of the year.

Beat THIS Man's Good Attitude

I don't recall exactly what part of the New Testament was being covered on this particular Sunday, but some weeks ago in our Sunday School class the lesson touched on trials and hardships in life and how we get through them.

One man who has had cancer a couple of times (2 or 3...can't recall exactly) and lost an eye due to the most recent case commented, "You can go through a lot in life if you know there's a reward at the end."

Obviously knowing of his battles with cancer, the teacher asked in return, "What's the reward for losing your eye?"

The man only paused for a moment and then with a big smile across his face he said: "I only cry half as much."

Everyone in the class laughed and smiled.  I don't think that even one of us didn't marvel at this man's character.  Finding that kind of a positive in that kind of trial?  Now that is what I call a good attitude.

Thought For Today

Brilliant blog post ideas are escaping me so it's time for another quote. It's one that my dad sent me a while back and I really love it. It's one for all you complainers, pessimists, and dooms-dayers out there (just kidding)....

"No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse."

- Jeffrey R. Holland

Dealing With One's Own Anger

In church a week or two ago we were having a lesson on anger. A woman was asked to participate in advance and shared a few words on the matter. I really enjoyed a few quotes that she read and thought I'd pass them on...

"Consider how much more you often suffer from your anger and grief than from those very things for which you are angry and grieved." - Mark Antony

"Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." - Buddah

"Long held resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die." - (unknown)

I'm not one who is normally easy to anger but I thought that these were really fabulous. I'm going to be printing them out and posting them on my "quote door" in the kitchen. Hopefully when I do find myself angry or holding something against someone, I can remember these words and let things go.

A NEWLY RE-DISCOVERED FAVORITE QUOTE

I was going through the post-tornado territory that I call my office/craft room the other day, trying to get it cleaned up (again) and found a pretty notebook that I hadn't seen in ages. For a few years, I wrote in it during church conferences, taking notes and writing down the things that impressed me most. Unfortunately, I haven't written a thing in it since September 2000. Fortunately, there's a lot of good stuff in there. I'm glad to have found it and for the chance to flip through it again. One of the best things I discovered in it was the following, written along the binding inside the front cover:

"Many things catch your eye, but few catch your heart. Pursue those."

I don't know why I like this quote so much. Perhaps it reminds me that I need to focus on the right things in life and not waste so much time on things that really don't matter.

ENCOURAGING WORDS

During a lesson in church a couple of weeks ago, the teacher had a wonderful quote up on the board. Just thought I'd share it:

"The most significant sign of your progress on this journey is not so much your location on the path at the moment, but rather the direction in which you are moving." - Jeffrey R. Holland

I'm going to be printing it out and posting it on my calendar/quote door in the kitchen. A good reminder for me on those days when I don't feel like I'm succeeding or doing what I can in my life.

A FAVORITE QUOTE...

I have a few things in mind that I'd like to post about (a couple of them are lists...whoa) but I don't really feel like taking the time tonight. I've decided that from now on, when I have anti-writing times like this, I'm going to just drop one of my many favorite and/or collected quotes. I found this one in a Reader's Digest years and years ago...I think I way flying from Utah to California (or the other way around) and I've always remembered it:

"The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for."

Keep that in mind, my friends. Do not sell yourself short. Don't accept or go for something just because it's there. Do not settle. Ever. We all deserve much so more than we think we do.