You just have to be aware when your feelings are a more reliable indicator how you truly are doing.  And feelings do come and go and there are many shades of them very seldom do they run to the extremes–from despair to great joy and often you are somewhere in between and that is okay.

The mountain peaks only come once in awhile so enjoy the simple pleasures that come along and treat yourself not too harshly when you err.  We all do.  And forgive those who do also.  You do not expect yourself to be perfect so extend that same privilege to those around you.  Your life will run smoother.  Be happy with what you’ve got.  You only get one time around.

If we insist that we control everything which is really impossible it is batting our heads against the wall.  And the things that are in our control become harder because of the frustration which has to ensue when we can’t accept our limitations.

Every person is going to die, age and eventually lose the level of control you once had in your life.  That is reality.  If you can’t accept the eventuality of that, you lose what is always in your control.

Your attitude is always in your command.  Accepting that there will always be things out of your control and making the most of what you can produces peace of mind.  There are always things in your control.  And you just have to exert them.

The serenity prayer illustrates this perfectly and this is a paraphrase:  accept the things you have no control of and change what is in your power and have the wisdom to know the difference.  There will always be things out of your control.

I happened to notice looking out through my large living room window a flock of slate covered juncos feeding on the ground (three to be exact).  It was only the second time in months I have seen them– the first time more than one at a time.  The advent of Autumn seemed to have brought them here again.

I was passing a house in my car and I saw their young black goat for the second time.  It was crossing the road right in front of me.  For a second it reared on its hind legs as if to say “hello” and then walked across.

Another one of their animals a hen turkey stood for the longest time in front of my car before it made it to the other side.  I brought my car to a total halt waiting for it to pass.

Theses are just three incidences but they enlightened my day.  You never know what surprises lay ahead–usually when you least expect them.  All you have to do is face each day expectantly.

When you go beyond the borders of your house and mix with others, you usually find out others are also dealing with difficulties sometimes even worse than yours.

My favorite Norman Vincent Peal anecdote is when he was once walking with a acquaintance and this person ranted and railed about all the difficulties he was undergoing.

Norman interrupted the person in the middle of his conversation and asked him, “Do you want to know where you can go where you will no longer have problems?”  And the person exhorted him to tell him that immediately and Norman simply pointed to the ground.

Sometimes we forget difficulties are just normal state of affairs and we need someone to remind us of that fact.  Isolating yourself prevents you, often, from finding this elementary fact.

When you connect with someone and suddenly during the course of the conversation you find this out there is often a sigh of relief from you.

Life is full of problems and worries and concerns and it is important to find out yours are really not that unique and all are part and parcel of being alive.

If you want to cheat death, do not be concerned about the dying.  Be concerned that you do God’s will and know not one person can tell you which path to take.

If you want to cheat death be concerned about the present.  Do not live in the past or the future.  Live the life you have today.

Don’t be afraid of the things you have no control of but seize the control of things you do.  If you want to cheat death let no one tell you this is the correct path.  Love each person God puts in your life.

If you want to cheat death live fully in the moment, savor each moment.  Do not be afraid.

You have two broad choices:  You can live your life with courage or you can live your life with fear.  Death is the fear of the unknown.

I choose courage.  And the wisdom that can accompany it.  We are all going to die one day.  That is a fact.  But people act as if death does not exist.

It can only make your life that much sweeter.  Imagine if we knew were were going to live for eternity.  How awful that would be.

Face each day that God has given you with gratitude.  Then it no longer matters how much time you are here on this earth.  Face each day with courage and wisdom.  Death then has no power.

Rejoice.  Again I say rejoice.  It is a commandment of the bible.  There is much to rejoice about.  If your blood is pulsating through your veins.  That is no small thing.

Life is, in deed, very precious.  And so is your health.  Take good care of your self.  We have that in control.  There is a correlation between health and joy although sometimes you have to override that and determine to seek joy.

Men live lives of quiet desperation.  Words by Thoreau.  Very much quoted.  Accept the bounties God has given you.  And find joy in them.  Rejoice.  Again I say rejoice.

Life becomes that much more valuable knowing it is finite.  When we are young there is the illusion we are going to live forever.  It is only an illusion, sometimes shattered when a friend close to us meets an untimely death.

I never forgot Anna Quinlan’s (the well known writer) comments.  She was in college and temporarily left to take care of her mother who was dying.  Then she returned to college with a different perspective, a keener appreciation of life.  She looked at her fellow students and considered their concerns now trivial.  Life had become very precious to her.  Her Mom died.  And the last few months she spent taking care of her illustrated to her how fragile and tenuous life really was.  She had a new found appreciation of how precious life really was.

One can not live with the notion he or she may go at any moment.  Everything is by grace.  And the awareness of the specter of death that awaits every one makes life that much sweeter  and always gives you a greater appreciation of the simple things every one takes for granted.  From dust you come and from dust you shall return.  Those words in the bible are so true.  Our society today views death as a curse.  It is really a gift so appreciate the time the Lord has given to you.  You only have one life so enjoy it and make the best of it.

Do what you are commanded to do, what the tiny voice inside of you is directing you to do.

Consequences always exist.  Do not be concerned about them.  Sure, take reasonable precautions, but do not let them shackle you.  Your place in the universes is unraveling.  Do not be afraid.

Follow your heart.  Sometimes it may deceive you but always return to the best life has to offer you.  Do not look at other people’s progress.  Looks are always deceiving.

Vibrate to the pulse of your universe.  It is your place.  Do not be concerned of your significance.  When you are fulfilling only the role, the place put on the earth for you there is never shame.

Too many people are trapped by the expectations of others.  Meet yours first and remember each one of us is important to the Almighty.  That is hard to fathom but fulfill the path He is laying out for you.  It is uniquely yours.  And the more you follow it the more your ripples can change the universes.  One person can change the world.  You have to believe you are here for a purpose.  You may not know it but believe you can make a difference.

To believe otherwise is to lead a life of despair.  Act as if you matter.  And you will.

Sure, everyone has obligations and duties and some people have less control of their time.  Nevertheless, if you do not have at least one area your whole heart and soul is in then you are slowly dying.

Everyone has been there before.  But you have somehow extricate yourself from that position.  One can get trapped by money, be afraid to leave a position because there will be a transition period in which you may struggle financially.  And there are no guarantees, of course.

God designed us to want to create, to do what is deepest in your fiber.  To do what we are here for.  Everyone is different.  And there are no lack of people to tell you what to do, what path to follow.

The truth is the path each one has to take has no path.  You have to create your own steps on a path that only you can define.

Only you know in your heart and soul where you must go, what you must do.  And if in your heart you know it is the wrong path or you are doing something for the wrong reasons there is deep inside of you a sense of failure.

When you have peace within you, you know you are traveling in the right direction, doing what only you can do.  It is hard resisting the pressures from outside sources.

But if you are leading your life in a way your conscience says is wrong consistently you are slowly dying and that is a fate worst than death.

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