WISE WORDS 

A person asked Buddha:
"Are you a God?"
Buddha's reply was
"No."
"Are you an Angel?"
"No."
"Then what are you?"
"I am Awake."

**********

Let us put our minds together and see what the future we can make for the children -   

                             Tatanka Yotanka - The Sitting Bull

                                                    **********

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all God's children, black and white, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of that old Negro spiritual: "Free at last. Free at last! Thank God Almighty, We are free at last."

MARTIN LUTHER KING

                                                * * * * *

           There are two ways of living your life;

          One is as though nothing is a miracle,   

                      The other is as though everything is a miracle!

Albert Einstein

*******

To a visitor who described himself as a seeker after Truth the Master said, "If what you seek is Truth, there is one thing you must have above all else."

"I know. An overwhelming passion for it."

"No. An unremitting readiness to admit you may be wrong."

Anthony de Mello, SJ


MORSEL:

Your vision will become clear
only when you look into your heart ...
Who looks outside, dreams.
Who looks inside, awakens.

~ Carl Jung

*******

If I had my life to live over....                       

by Erma Bombeck  (deceased)

I would have invited friends over to
dinner even if the carpet was
stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in
the "GOOD" living room and
worried much less about the dirt
when someone wanted to light a fire
in the fireplace

I would have taken the time to
listen to my grandfather ramble
about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car
windows be rolled up on a
summer day because my hair had just
been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle
sculpted like a rose before it
melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my
children and not worried
about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less
while watching television and
more while watching life.

I would have gone to bed when I was
sick instead of pretending the
earth would go into a holding
pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything
just because it was practical,
wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed
to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months
of pregnancy, I'd have
cherished every moment realizing
that the wonderment growing inside
me was the only chance in life to
assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously,
I would never have said,
"Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."
There would have been more "I love you's"
and more "I'm sorry's

. ..but mostly, given another shot at life,
I would seize every minute..... look at it
and really see it .. live it .. and never give it back

*************

I've Learned

Compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

H Jackson Jnr, "a few observations and words of counsel..." to his son, as he left home to begin college

I've learned.... that the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I've learned.... that a kindness done is never lost. It may take a while, but like a suitcase on a luggage carousel, it will return again.
I've learned.... that when you're in love, it shows.
I've learned.... that if you hang something in the closet for a while, it shrinks two sizes.
I've learned.... that just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!" makes my day.
I've learned.... that I feel better about myself when I make others feel better about themselves.
I've learned.... that having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
I've learned.... that what we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.
I've learned.... that people will remember you as being a great conversationalist if you mostly listen.
I've learned.... that one sincere apology is worth more than all the roses money can buy.
I've learned.... that words harshly spoken are as difficult to retrieve as feathers in a gale.
I've learned.... that being kind is more important than being right.
I've learned.... that I need to let my friends comfort me and hold me up, to let them know I need
support, that I'm not always as strong as I look or act.
I've learned.... that when I'm waiting to see my doctor, I always wish I had stuck to my diet.
I've learned.... that you should never say no to a gift from a child.
I've learned.... that I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
I've learned.... that the more mistakes I make, the smarter I get.
I've learned.... that no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
I've learned.... that sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
I've learned.... that when my spouse has failed to fulfil my needs, it's highly likely I've also neglected his.
I've learned.... that simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
I've learned.... that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
I've learned.... that we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.
I've learned.... that money doesn't buy class.
I've learned.... that it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
I've learned.... that once a relationship is over, if you experienced more smiles than tears, then it wasn't a waste of time.
I've learned.... that under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
I've learned.... never to humiliate another person. Always give him an honourable way to back down or out of something and still save face.
I've learned.... that the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?
I've learned.... that if you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven't done much today.
I've learned.... that to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
I've learned.... that when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
I've learned.... that you view other people's children in a whole different light when you have some of your own.
I've learned.... that the older I get, the smarter my parents become.
I've learned.... that when your wife simply answers, "nothing" when you ask her what's wrong, you're in deep trouble.
I've learned.... that love, not time, heals all wounds.
I've learned.... that the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
I've learned.... that I always think of the right thing to say when it's too late.
I've learned.... that the fire of a past love will always burn with a small flame.
I've learned.... that even at the age of forty-nine, you can still feel like a twelve year old child when your mother is talking to you.
I've learned.... that no matter what their ages or how far away they may be, you never stop wanting to keep a protective arm around your children.
I've learned.... to gather all the crumbs thrown my way. They soon form a lovely, thick slice of life and memories.
I've learned.... that when you want a garment to shrink, it won't, and when you don't, it will come out of the dryer and fit your cat!
I've learned.... that commercials for feminine products always comes on when you are sitting in the living room with all men.
I've learned.... that the kind of adults my children are now is directly related to the kind of children I continually told them they were.
I've learned.... that everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
I've learned.... that there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.
I've learned.... that men would rather be lost for hours than stop and ask for directions.
I've learned.... that no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned.... that life is tough, but I'm tougher.
I've learned.... that opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.
I've learned.... that there is nothing better than my dog waiting for me on the front porch,
wagging his tail when I get home.
I've learned.... that when you harbour bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
I've learned.... that I wish I could have told my mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.
I've learned.... that it is just as wrong to be rude to a child as to an adult. In fact, it may be more unforgivable.
I've learned.... that you should never jump off a diving board when wearing a bikini.
I've learned.... that one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
I've learned.... that a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
I've learned.... that I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.
I've learned.... that a peacock today may be a feather duster tomorrow.
I've learned.... that nobody wants to know what you're doing until you're doing something that you don't want anyone to know.
I've learned.... that when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.
I've learned.... that those who reach their goals too easily have aimed too low.
I've learned.... that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
I've learned.... that when packing for a vacation, you should take half as many clothes as you think you will need and twice as much money. Your clothes and money should run out about the same time!
I've learned.... that stain resistant carpet will stain.
I've learned.... that it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life-threatening situation.
I've learned.... that a good friend is the one who tells you how you really look in your jeans.
I've learned.... that the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

 
I've learned-
that you can keep going long after you can't.
I've learned-
that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
I've learned-
that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I've learned-
that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I've learned-
that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I've learned-
that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I've learned-
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I've learned-
that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I've learned-
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
I've learned-
that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I've learned-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I've learned-
that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I've learned-
I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I've learned-
that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
I've learned-
that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I've learned-
that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren't related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't biological.
I've learned-
that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I've learned-
that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I've learned-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I've learned-
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I've learned-
that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each
other And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
I've learned-
that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I've learned-
that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I've learned-
that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I've learned-
that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
I've learned-
that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
I've learned-
that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I've learned-
that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a "life"
I've learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.
I've learned that you can make someone's day by simply sending them a little note.
I've learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others.
I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a man, by the way he handles three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights
I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they are gone from your life.
I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw some things back.
I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
I've learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.
I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone.
People love human touches ... holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
I've learned that I should pass this on to someone I care about. Sometimes they just need a little something to make them smile.
I've learned that friends are one of the most important gifts of life.

Thanks for being my friend.

*******

MY LAW - Tieme Ranapiri   
 
The sun may be clouded, yet ever the sun 
Will sweep on its course till the Cycle is run. 
And when into chaos the system is hurled 
Again shall the Builder reshape a new world.
 
Your path may be clouded, uncertain your goal 
Move on - for your orbit is fixed to your soul. 
And though it may lead into darkness of night 
The torch of the Builder shall give it new light.
 
You were. You will be! Know this while you are: 
Your spirit has travelled both long and afar. 
It came from the Source, to the Source it returns 
The Spark which was lighted eternally bums.
 
It slept in a jewel. It slept in a wave.
It roamed in the forest. It rose from the grave. 
It took on strange garbs for long eons of years 
And now in the soul of yourself It appears.
 
From body to body your spirit speeds on
It seeks a new form when the old one has gone
And the form that it finds is the fabric you wrought 
On the loom of the Mind from the fibre of Thought. 

As dew is drawn upwards, in rain to descend
Your thoughts drift away and in Destiny blend. 
You cannot escape them, for petty or great,
Or evil or noble, they fashion your Fate.
 
Somewhere on some planet, sometime-and somehow 
Your life will reflect your thoughts of your Now.
My Law is unerring, no blood can atone -
The structure you built you will live in - alone.

From cycle to cycle, through time and through space 
Your lives with your longings will ever keep pace
And all that you ask for, and all you desire
Must come at your bidding, as flame out of fire
 
Once list' to that Voice and all tumult is done 
Your life is the Life of the Infinite One.
In the hurrying race you are conscious of pause
With love for the purpose, and love for the Cause.
 

You are your own Devil, you are your own God 
You fashioned the paths your footsteps have trod. 
And no one can save you from Error or Sin 
Until you have hark'd to the Spirit within.



Attributed to a Maori.

*******

When out on a picnic, the Master said, "Do you want to know what the Enlightened is like? Look at those birds flying over the lake."
While everyone watched, the Master exclaimed:
"They cast a reflection on the water that they have no awareness of - and the lake has no attachment to."

Anthony de Mello, SJ

MORSEL: Life's lessons are not taught in classrooms.

************

When a new disciple came to the Master, this is the catechism he was usually subjected to:

"Do you know the one person who will never abandon you in the whole of your lifetime?"
"Who is it?"
"You."
"And do you know the answer to every question you may have?"
"What is it?"
"You."
"And can you guess the solution to every one of your problems?"
"I give up."
"You."

Anthony de Mello, SJ


MORSEL: The nature of God is a circle of which the center is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere. --Empedocles

**********

"Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul."

-- Henry David Thoreau

*****************

It was impossible to get the Master to speak of God or of things divine.
"About God," he said, "we can only know that what we know is nothing."
One day he told of a man who deliberated long and anxiously beforeembarking on discipleship. "He came to study under me, with the result that he learned nothing."
Only a few of the disciples understood: What the Master had to teach could not be learned. Nor taught. So all one could really learn from him was nothing.

Anthony de Mello, SJ

MORSEL: When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. --Tao Te Ching

************

The Master offered the perfect solution to a married couple that was forever quarreling.
He said, "Just stop claiming as a right what you can ask for as a favor."
The quarreling instantly stopped.

Anthony de Mello, SJ

MORSEL: And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. --Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, [The Little Prince ]

**********

The discussion among the disciples once centered on the usefulness of reading. Some thought it was a waste of time, others disagreed.
When the Master was appealed to, he said, "Have you ever read one of those texts in which the notes scrawled in the margin by a reader prove to be as illuminating as the text itself?"
The disciples nodded in agreement.
"Life," said the Master, "is one such text."

Anthony de Mello, SJ

MORSEL: Even with its hassles, life seems to be the best thing they've come up with yet. --Alan Harris

*************

"Does God exist?" said the Master one day.
"Yes," said the disciples in chorus.
"Wrong," said the Master.
"No," said the disciples.
"Wrong again," said the Master.
"What's the answer?" asked the disciples.
"There is no answer."
"Why ever not?"
"Because there is no question," said the Master.

Later he explained: "If you cannot say anything about Him who is beyond thoughts and words, how can you ask anything about Him?"

Anthony de Mello, SJ

MORSEL: A person desperately searching for God is like a fish desperately searching for water.

************
"What is the highest act a person can perform?"
"Sitting in meditation."
But the Master himself was rarely seen to sit in meditation. He was ceaselessly engaged in housework and fieldwork, in meeting people and writing books. He even took up the bookkeeping chores of the monastery.
"Why, then, do you spend all your time in work?"
"When one works, one need not cease to sit in meditation."

Anthony de Mello, SJ

MORSEL: Whoever seeks God . . . has already found God.

************

A journalist one day asked the Master to name one thing that characterizes the Modern World.
The Master unhesitatingly replied, "People every day know more and more about the Cosmos and less and less about themselves."
And to an astronomer who held him spellbound with the wonders of modern astronomy the Master suddenly said, "Of all the millions of strange objects in the universe the black holes and quasars and pulsars— the strangest, unquestionably, is the self!"

Anthony de Mello, SJ

MORSEL: What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. --Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

**********

The Haji who lived at the outskirts of the town was said to perform miracles, so his home was a center of pilgrimage for large crowds of sick people.
The Master, who was known to be quite uninterested in the miraculous, would never reply to questions on the Haji.
When asked point-blank why he was opposed to miracles, he replied, "How can one be opposed to what is taking place before one's eyes each moment of the day?"

Anthony de Mello, SJ

MORSEL: God is a comic playing to an audience that's afraid to laugh.
--Voltaire (1694-1778)

**********

The Master had an allergy for people who protracted their stay at the monastery. Sooner or later each disciple would hear the difficult words:
"The time has come for you to go. If you do not get away, the Spirit will not come."
What was this "Spirit," one particularly smitten disciple wished to know.
Said the Master:
"Water remains alive and free by flowing.
You will remain alive and free by going.
If you do not get away from me,
you will stagnate and die
—and be contaminated."

Anthony de Mello, SJ

*****

"The most drastic and usually the most effective remedy for fear is direct action."

-- William Burnham

******

"Look for your own.
Do not do what someone else could do as well as you.
Do not say or write what someone else could say or write as well as you.
Care for nothing in yourself than what you feel exists nowhere else,
and out of your self, create impatiently or patiently...
the most irreplaceable of things."

-- Andre Gide

****
"To survive, our minds must taste redwood, and agate, octopi, bat, and in the bat's mouth, insect. It's hard to think like a planet, but we've got to try."

-- James Bertolino, poet

***********

The Eight Blunders   (Cause of All the Violence in the World)

1. Wealth without work

2. Pleasure without conscience

3. Knowledge without character

4. Commerce without morality

5. Science without humanity

6. Worship without sacrifice

7. Politics without principles

8. Rights without responsibilities

-- M. K. Gandhi

**********
May the Rain Bless you
May the wind Caress you
May the sun Brighten you
May the Moon En-Lighten you
May the stars Guide you
May life Delight you
May Love Surround you
Shnie On! Shalom!

VARIOUS QUOTES