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 something to think about...

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Hildegard

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Re:something to think about... - 7/22/2009 11:19 AM ( #221 )
Sparrow. thank you for this thought-provoking poem!
 
Diane, these hugs are really "big"! Thank you!
 
 
Love,
Edda
 
Peace and joy!
lilsparrow

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Re:something to think about... - 7/23/2009 7:38 AM ( #222 )
Thank you Diane,
for the bear and tiger hugs . . .
of course the tiger
made me think of another story . . .
the one about Christian the lion.
Below is the short version . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFLlbMlmuGY
and if you have 6 minutes,
here is the long one.
Both have moving messages . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvCjyWp3rEk&feature=fvw
  
   ♥
 
 
everything counts...
buttington

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Re:something to think about... - 7/23/2009 10:32 AM ( #223 )
Thank you Sparrow for the story of Christian the lion...moving messages indeed!
 
When you think, those two could so easily have become a meal for the beautiful lions, it's remarkable.
 
Jude
Love is the only way
buttington

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Re:something to think about... - 7/23/2009 12:29 PM ( #224 )
On this day of your life, Judith, I believe God wants you to know...
....that love is not what you want, it is what you are. It is very important to not get these two confused.
 
If you think that love is what you want, you will go searching for it all over the place. If you think love is what you are, you will go sharing it all over the place. The second approach will cause you to find what the searching will never reveal.
 
Yet you cannot give love in order to get it. Doing that is as much as saying you do not now have it. And that statement will, of course, be your reality. No, you must give love because you have it to give. In this will you experience your own possession of it.
 Neale Donald Walsch
Love is the only way
lilsparrow

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Re:something to think about... - 7/24/2009 7:50 AM ( #225 )

If you think that love is what you want, you will go searching for it all over the place. If you think love is what you are, you will go sharing it all over the place. The second approach will cause you to find what the searching will never reveal.

Dear Jude . . .
This is a well-kept secret . . .
I wish though,
that it wasn't so well kept.
It would save much heartbreak and misunderstanding . . .
  
everything counts...
lilsparrow

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Re:something to think about... - 7/24/2009 8:00 AM ( #226 )
Here is a little addendum
which just happens to be the second entry
from my little book of wisdom . . .
 
"To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To hope is to risk disappointment.
But risks must be taken because the greatest risk in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing,
sees nothing, has nothing and is nothing.
He cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love and live."
author unknown
 
everything counts...
Hildegard

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Re:something to think about... - 7/24/2009 11:32 AM ( #227 )
Dear Sparrow,
 
I so agree with this quote! If we don't move out of our comfort zone we will never know what is possible for us. If we don't risk failure we will not know what our limits really are, not what we imagine them to be. Most of us probably underestimate our gifts!
 
Edda
Peace and joy!
J1937

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Re:something to think about... - 7/24/2009 11:43 AM ( #228 )
Dear Sparrow,

The book of quotes you found seems to be a real treasure! The quote on love reminds me of Thomas Merton, who says the following:


To love you have to climb out of the cradle, where everything is"getting", and grow up to the maturity of giving, without concern for getting anything special in return. Love is not a deal, it is a sacrifice. It is not marketing, it is a form of worship.

Juliana
"Speak Peace in a World of Conflict" (M.B.Rosenberg)
lilsparrow

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Re:something to think about... - 7/25/2009 7:02 AM ( #229 )

Love is not a deal, it is a sacrifice. It is not marketing, it is a form of worship.

It is amazing to me
that the definition, actuality, and meaning of love
has changed more dramatically for me
over the years,
than just about any other concept.
It is most certainly
not what I thought it was
when I was young . . .
what a profound lesson
it is
and continues to be . . .
   ♥
everything counts...
lilsparrow

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Re:something to think about... - 7/25/2009 7:06 AM ( #230 )
. . . another offering for today . . .
 
"Life is short and we have not too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark way with us.
Oh, be swift to love!
Make haste to be kind."
Henri Frederic Amiel (1821-1881)
everything counts...
buttington

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Re:something to think about... - 7/25/2009 7:46 AM ( #231 )

"Life is short and we have not too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark way with us. Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind." Henri Frederic Amiel (1821-1881)

 
That is lovely Sparrow! One of those realizations that often comes late in life....unfortunately.
 
Love,
Jude
Love is the only way
lilsparrow

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Re:something to think about... - 8/27/2009 8:05 AM ( #232 )
"Take time to be friendly ~ It is the road to happiness.
Take time to dream ~ It is hitching your wagon to a star.
Take time to love and to be loved ~ It is the privilege of the gods.
Take time to look around ~ It is too short a day to be selfish.
Take time to laugh ~ It is the music of the soul."
(italics mine)
                       Old English
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Imenuff

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Re:something to think about... - 9/7/2009 3:57 PM ( #233 )
Received this email last weekend and thought it worth sharing.

  THE BUZZARD:
 




If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and
is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its
ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is
that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a
run of 10 to 12 feet. Without space to run, as is its habit,
it will not even attempt to fly, but will remain a prisoner
for life in a small jail with no top.

THE BAT:


The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable  nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level  place.  If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

THE BUMBLEBEE:
 
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out.  It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom...  It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

PEOPLE:  

In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee. We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up!  That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem!  Just look up. 




Sorrow looks back, Worry looks around, But faith looks up!

Live simply, love generously , care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our Creator who loves us.

           







 


Yesterday is gone forever.Tomorrow may not come. Live Fully each moment today. Look for Good Things that Happen to you Every Day.
Hildegard

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Re:something to think about... - 9/7/2009 10:55 PM ( #234 )
Thank you, Betty!
 
At times we can learn from the animal world!
 
Here is a true story:
 
SQUIRREL IN THE BASEMENT    
 
A noise in the furnace room -
I go and check -
ther's a squirrel perched
on top of the furnace.
We look at each other,
equally surprised.
"How did you get in here?"
The squirrel takes off into
the finished part of the basement,
jumping over the counter and chests,
then disappears - silence.
We remove everything
a squirrel might eat,
set up a neighbor's trap,
primed with nuts, and wait.
For two days it remains
in hiding, only an
occasional rumble
suggesting its presence.
It somehow had made
its way in but can't
retrace its route.
Finally it succumbs to
hunger and the lure of nuts
and finds itself trapped
with no hope for escape
or so it must seem.
 
How could a squirrel have known
that it had to be trapped
to gain its freedom?
 
 
Isn't this sometimes true of us?
 
Edda
Peace and joy!
Imenuff

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Re:something to think about... - 9/11/2009 7:12 AM ( #235 )
"How could a squirrel have known that it had to be trapped to gain it's freedom"
Edda, for some reason, this seems to be true of most humans I know, including and especially me.  I am always grateful for a spiritual companion who doesn't hesitate to "trap" me, never allowing me to avoid issues and always bringing the focus back to me rather than allowing me to focus on others-- not what "they" did, but why am I reacting as I am?

Received the following this morning.  Some things to think about when "gratitude" seems impossible.

Interesting Tid Bits!!

 The next time  you are  washing your hands and complain because 
the water  temperature  isn't just how you like it, think about how 
things  used to be.  Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most  people got married in  June because they took their yearly 
bath  in May, and they still  smelled pretty good by June.. 
However,  since they were starting to  smell . .. . brides carried 
a  bouquet of flowers to hide the  body  odor. Hence the custom  
today  of carrying a bouquet when getting   married.

Baths  consisted of a big tub  filled with hot water. The man of 
the  house had the privilege of  the nice clean water, then all 
the  other sons and men, then the  women and finally the 
children..  Last of all the babies.  By then  the water was so dirty
you could actually lose someone  in it.  Hence the saying,
 "Don't throw the baby out with the  Bath  water!"

Houses  had thatched  roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood  
underneath. It was the  only place for animals to get warm, so  all 
the cats and other  small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the  roof. 
When it rained it  became slippery and sometimes the  animals would 
slip and fall off  the roof.. Hence the saying  "It's raining cats 
and  dogs."

There  was nothing to stop  things from falling into the house. 
This  posed a real problem in  the bedroom where bugs and other  
droppings could mess up your nice  clean bed. Hence, a bed with  
big posts and a sheet hung over the  top afforded some  protection. 
That's how canopy beds came into   existence.

The  floor was dirt.. Only the  wealthy had something other than 
dirt.  Hence the saying, "Dirt  poor." The wealthy had slate floors 
that  would get slippery in the  winter when wet, so they spread 
thresh  (straw) on floor to help  keep their footing. As the winter 
wore  on, they added more thresh  until, when you opened the door, 
it  would all start slipping  outside. A piece of wood was placed 
in  the entrance-way. Hence: a  thresh hold.

In  those old days, they  cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle  
that always hung over the  fire.. Every day they lit the fire and  
added things to the pot.  They ate mostly vegetables and did not  
get much meat. They would  eat the stew for dinner, leaving  
leftovers in the pot to get cold  overnight and then start over  
the next day. Sometimes stew had  food in it that had been there  
for quite a while. Hence the rhyme:  Peas porridge hot, peas  
porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot  nine days  old.

Sometimes  they could obtain  pork, which made them feel quite 
special. When  visitors came over,  they would hang up their bacon 
to show off.  It was a sign of  wealth that a man could, "bring 
home the  bacon." They would cut  off a little to share with guests 
and  would all sit around and  chew the fat.

 Those  with money had plates  made of pewter. Food with high acid  
content caused some of the  lead to leach onto the food, causing  
lead  poisoning death. This happened most  often with  tomatoes, so 
for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes  were  considered poisonous.

Bread  was divided according  to status. Workers got the burnt 
bottom of  the loaf, the family  got the middle, and guests got the 
top, or  the upper  crust.

Lead  cups were used to drink  ale or whisky. The combination 
would  sometimes knock the imbibers  out for a couple of days. 
Someone  walking along the road would  take them for dead and 
prepare them  for burial. They were laid out  on the kitchen table 
for a couple  of days and the family would  gather around and eat 
and drink and  wait and see if they would  wake up. Hence the 
custom of holding  a  wake..

England  is old and small and the  local folks started running out 
of  places to bury people. So they  would dig up coffins and would  
take the bones to a bone-house, and  reuse the grave. When  
reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins  were found to have  
scratch marks on the inside and they realized  they had been  
burying people alive. So they would tie a string on  the wrist of  
the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through  the ground  
and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in  the  
graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the   
bell; thus,someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered  
a  dead ringer...

 And that's  the truth....Now,  whoever said History was boring ! ! !

lilsparrow

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Re:something to think about... - 9/11/2009 8:16 AM ( #236 )
Somehow I missed these posts . . .

How could a squirrel have known
that it had to be trapped
to gain its freedom?
 
 
Isn't this sometimes true of us?
Edda

Yes I think so, Edda . . .
 
This makes me think of something a spiritual advisor once told me . . .
that the way monkeys are captured in the jungle is this~
a large bamboo cage is placed in the jungle.
Inside the 'cage' is hung a very large branch of bananas.
Soon the monkeys smell the bananas and come running.
They reach into the cage and grab the fruits,
but the bars are set to a width that they cannot withdraw their fists
which are now closed around bananas.
The captors then approach the cage
and pick the monkeys off
one by one
and put into burlap bags,
because they would rather be captured
than let go of their bananas. 
 
The only story of your most recent offerings, Betty,
was the last one!
   ♥
   
 
everything counts...
buttington

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Re:something to think about... - 9/11/2009 1:57 PM ( #237 )

The only story of your most recent offerings, Betty, was the last one!

 
Dear Sparrow, have I missed something in what you say? I know I can be a bit slow sometimes!
 
Jude
Love is the only way
lilsparrow

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Re:something to think about... - 9/11/2009 6:19 PM ( #238 )

The only story of your most recent offerings, Betty, was the last one! Dear Sparrow, have I missed something in what you say? I know I can be a bit slow sometimes!
Jude

I meant to say that the only story of your most recent offerings, Betty,
that I already had heard,
was the last one . . .
my thoughts were running faster
than my fingers . . . .
not an uncommon experience,
I am afraid . . .
everything counts...
Hildegard

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Re:something to think about... - 9/11/2009 10:37 PM ( #239 )
Dear Betty,
 
I, too, had heard only the last story before.
Some do make me wonder what came first, the expression or the story explaining how it came about.
 
Love,
Edda
Peace and joy!
buttington

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Re:something to think about... - 9/12/2009 6:10 AM ( #240 )
I have heard all of them before! In fact I heard the one about the bread (upper crust) only a few days ago. It is interesting to know how these sayings came about.
 
The one about the bread was demonstrated in a program on TV where they had recreated a farm from the 17th century. They showed them building the fire in the bread oven and letting it get hot enough before quickly taking out the burning wood and placing the bread in to cook. The speed was so the oven didn't cool down, and so much of the ash was left on the oven floor where it got transferred to bottoms of the loaves of bread.
 
Jude
Love is the only way
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