Thought 01JUL2009

ON PURPOSE
The thing has already taken form in my mind before I start it. The first attempts are absolutely unbearable. I say this because I want you to know that if you see something worthwhile in what I am doing, it is not by accident but because of real direction and purpose.
Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) - Painter, Cited in BITS & PIECES
Li kien kien, li kieku kieku / What was is no more, what if is just if - Maltese Proverb

Thought 30JUN2009

ON ADVERSITY
Times of general calamity and confusion create great minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace, and the brightest thunderbolt is elicited from the darkest storms.
Charles Caleb Colton (1780-1832) - Writer, Cited in BITS & PIECES
Ilsien ta mara jxoqq il-ghadam / A woman's tongue cracks bones - Maltese Proverb

Thought 29JUN2009

SACRIFICIAL LOVE
There is this story : A girl with a terrible facial disfigurement and a blind man fell in love and married. He was the only person she cared about who wouldn't flinch from her.

One day a prominent surgeon examined the man. "I believe I can restore your sight," he said. Joy filled the man's heart, but fear grip his wife's. Sensing her hesitation, the husband asked, "Why do you not share my joy?" "I do," she insisted. Then he said, "You have never before lied to me. Why do you lie to me now?" When she told him of her blemish, he said, "I love you so much that I will stay blind. Your happiness means more to me than my sight." He calmed her fears by closing the door to a possible miracle that might cause him to stop loving her.
extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II', Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994
Il-mistoqsija oht il-gherf / Asking is the sister of knowing - Maltese proverb

Thought 26JUN2009

OLD PEOPLE
At age ninety-two, Grandma Fritz still lived in her old two-story farmhouse, made homemade noodles, and did her laundry in her wringer-washer in the basement. She maintained her vegetable garden, big enough to feed all of Benton County, with just a hoe and spade. Her seventy-year-old children lovingly protested when she insisted on mowing her huge lawn with her ancient push mower. "I only work outside in the cool, early mornings and in the evenings," Grandma explained, "and I always wear my sunbonnet." Still, her children were understandably relieved when they heard she was attending the noon lunches at the local senior citizens' center. Yes, Grandma admitted, as her daughter nodded approvingly. "I cook for them. Those old people appreciate it so much!"
By LeAnn Thieman - from A Second Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul, Copyright 1998 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne and Marci Shimoff
A quien cuida la peseta nunca le falta un duro / Look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves - Spanish Proverb

Thought 25JUN2009

THE HILL
Long past midnight, hours before dawn I jump up from my bed, pull my longjohns on. Peeking out the window, the snow has started to fall. Slipping on my overalls, I race quickly down the hall. Rushing to the closet, grasping my old wrap, I throw it over my shoulder, give the button a snap. Working all ten fingers, through the holes of much-worn mitts, I stick my feet into the boots that thankfully still fit. Faster than is possible, I head straight for the door. Behind me I am dragging a sled from years before. The wind is loud and howling, snow is blowing all around. Already what has fallen has covered the ground.

Tramping through the deepness, only my footprints to see, I head straight for the meadow, the hill is waiting for me. A few more steps, I reach my goal, as always in the past I'll be the first to sled this hill, and I'll be the very last. Breathing in the cool night air, I witness the year's first snow. Perhaps this is my favorite spot, in all the sights I know. Holding tight in a world of silence, I shove off with my feet. Wind is picking up my hair, snow hits against my teeth. Traveling faster and faster, I struggle not to tip. Stretching out my snow-damp legs, I lean from hip to hip. What a big delight, this morn has given thee. As all years before have done, when it's just this hill and me. Now if I do my best to hurry, I can take another run. The sun will soon be rising, the day will have begun. But before that can happen, I must be back in bed. For whatever would the children think... ...if they knew Grandma had used their sled!
By Betty J. Reid - from Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul, Copyright 1999 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
A palabras necias, oidos sordos / Take no notice of the stupid things people say - Spanish Proverb

Thought 24JUN2009

THE LITTLE HAPPINESS
Hope for the moment. There are times when it is hard to believe in the future, when we are temporarily just not brave enough. When this happens, concentrate on the present. Cultivate le petit bonheur [the little happiness] until courage returns. Look forward to the beauty of the next moment, the next hour, the promise of a good meal, sleep, a book, a movie, the likelihood that tonight the stars will shine and tomorrow the sun will shine. Sink roots into the present until the strength grows to think about tomorrow.
Ardis Whitman, extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II', Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994
A falta de pan, buenas son (las) tortas / We'll just have to make do - Spanish Proverb

Thought 23JUN2009

ON CHANGE
Fashions changed, changed again, changed faster and still faster : fashions in politics, in political styles, in causes, in music, in popular culture, in myths, in education's, in beauty, in heroes and idols, in attitudes, in responses, in work, in love and friendship, in food, in newspapers, in entertainment, in fashion. What had once lasted a generation now lasted a year, what had lasted a year lasted a month, a week, a day.
Bernard Levin - The Pendulum Years - Extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II', Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994
A donde te quieren mucho no vengas a menudo / A constant guest is never welcome - Spanish Proverb

Thought 22JUN2009

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING
Winners in life are willing to do the things losers refuse to do. This principle is ingrained in the employees who know what they are doing. Steve Allen suggests, "Nobody should think they can coast their way through life on the basis of gifts that they have nothing to do with in the first place. You have to pay your dues and do your homework." Winners prepare, study, train, apply themselves and work to become the best at what they do. Choose one part of your job. Apply your talents. Become the expert. Excel.

Some people approach their jobs like a mosquito in a nudist camp - they see lots of opportunity but can't decide where to start.
extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II, Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994
A donde el corazon se inclina, el pie camina / Home is where the heart is - Spanish Proverb

Proverbs 17JUN2009

(Ipangudidi mu u mapya nanawu)
Carry with you good teaching, always bear in mind sound advice - Ivatan Proverb
(Arava u ryes a abu su vinyedi)
There is no current that does not bounce back - Ivatan Proverb
(Matakaw ava dimu u kasulivan)
Nobody can steal your knowledge - Ivatan Proverb
"Ivatan" (Chirin nu Ibatan) is a language spoken by approx 30,000 people on the Batanes Islands, north of Luzon Island, Philippines, and south of Taiwan

Thought 16JUN2009

SINCERITY
All humans are DEAD,except those who have KNOWLEDGE;
All who have knowledge are ASLEEP,except those who DO GOOD DEEDS;
All that do good deeds are DECEIVED,except those that are SINCERE;
and those that are sincere are always in a state of concern.
Imam Shafie
Rain beats a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the spots - Ashanti Proverb

Thought 15JUN2009

ON ATTITUDE
I have learned from speaking to many cancer survivor groups that the watch on your hand no longer says, "tick, tick, tick." It now says "precious, precious, precious." When you understand that, every chapter in your life that you write becomes fascinating.
Steve Sobel, Speaker - Cited in BITS & PIECES
If you don't stand for something, you will fall for something - Chinese Proverb

Thought 12JUN2009

ON MEANING
Once what you are living and what you are doing has for you meaning, it is irrelevant whether you are happy or unhappy. You are content. You are not alone in your spirit. You belong.
Sir Laurens van der Post (1906 - 1996) - Explorer, writer and philosopher, Cited in BITS & PIECES
One falsehood spoils a thousand truths - Ashanti Proverb

Thought 11JUN2009

KNOWING WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWERS
Theodore Roosevelt told the delightful story of a business person who had consulted an attorney for legal advice. The business person was having coffee with a friend one day and he recounted the experience. "Why did you spend your hared-earned money for a lawyer?" asked his friend. "The law books in his office contain every answer you could ever want. Why didn't you just read the right book and find out the answer for yourself? It would have saved you a lot of money.

"That's true," replied the business person, "but the difference is the lawyer knew what book and what page the answer was on."
extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II, Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994
(M'hemmx warda bla xewk) There is no rose without thorns - Maltese Proverb

Thought 10JUN2009

ON GIVING
We all have something to give. So if you know how to read, find someone who can't. If you've got a hammer, find a nail. If you're not hungry, not lonely, not in trouble - seek out someone who is.
George Bush - Extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II', Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994.
(Gawdi ghax mid-dinja m'ghandna xejn) Enjoy yourself, for there is nothing in the world we can call our own - Maltese Proverb

Thought 09JUN2009

WE NEED EACH OTHER
Many living things need each other to survive. If you have ever seen a Colorado aspen tree, you may have noticed that it does not grow alone. Aspens are found in clusters, or groves. The reason is that the aspen sends up new shoots from the roots. In a small grove, all of the trees may actually be connected by their roots! Giant California redwood trees may tower 300 feet into the sky. It would seem that they would require extremely deep roots to anchor them against strong winds. But we're told that their roots are actually quite shallow - in order to capture as much surface water as possible. And they spread in all directions, intertwining with other redwoods. Locked together in this way, all the trees support each other in wind and storms. Like the aspen, they never stand alone. They need one another to survive.

People, too, are connected by a system of roots. We are born to family and learn early to make friends. We are not meant to survive long without others. And like the redwood, we need to hold one another up. When pounded by the sometimes vicious storms of life, we need others to support and sustain us. Have you been going it alone? Maybe it's time to let someone else help hold you up for awhile. Or perhaps someone needs to hang on to you.
From the book, RICHES OF THE HEART by Steve Goodier
(Kulhadd tad-demm u l-laham) We are all flesh and blood - Maltese Proverb

Thought 08JUN2009

ON CUSTOMER SERVICE
Whether service is your primary product or only a part of it, delivery must be effective and dependable if it is to have value to the customer. The service must be predictable and uniform; the customer has to be able to depend on what it will look like in delivery, how long it will take to deliver and what it will cost.

A Big Mac is a Big Mac is a Big Mac.
Karl Albrecht and Ron Zemke - extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II', Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994.
(Fejn thobb il-qalb jimxu r-riglejn) Where the heart loves, there the legs walk - Maltese Proverb

Thought 05JUN2009

WINNING WOULD BE NICE
The will to win is expressed in a "Peanuts" Charlie Brown, after striking out, is consoled by Lucy. "That's all right, Charlie Brown. You win some, you lose some." Charlie Brown replies, "That would be wonderful!"

Not every situation is a winning endeavor and at times it seems more are not than are. "Remember you will not always win," Maxwell Maltz reminds us. Some day, the most resourceful individual will taste defeat. But there is, in this case, always tomorrow - after you have done your best to achieve success today.
extracted from 'Speaker's Sourcebook II, Glen Van Ekeren, Prentice Hall, 1994
You have to make the most of the chances that come your way - Spanish Proverb

Thought 04JUN2009

RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships - of all kinds - are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold on to some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively and the relationship slips away and it is lost.
Kaleel Jamison - The Nibble Theory - extracted from 'Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul', Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kimberly Kirberger, Health Communications, Inc., 1997
A man who pays respect to the great paves the way for his own greatness - Chinese Proverb

Thought 03JUN2009

TIME
Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Star Ship Enterprise)
The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people - Ashanti Proverb

Thought 02JUN2009

TWO LITTLE BOYS NAMED CHRIS
When my firstborn child, Christian (Chris), was a little over three years old, he was diagnosed with cancer. After two to three years of treatment and several surgeries, it became apparent that his learning abilities had degenerated. With the help of Cancer Institute personnel, we were able to get Chris into a special-education class in a local school.

His teacher soon realized there was a problem in identifying two little boys in the class named Chris. Every time she called the name Chris, both boys answered. So she decided to ask each one what his mother called him at home. The other little boy answered, "Chris," and my son answered, "Sweetheart."
By Delores Lacy - from A 6th Bowl of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Copyright 1999 by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
Money is sharper than a sword - Ashanti Proverb