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~~THOUGHTS~~

I HAVE LEARNED


That there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it.         
That money is a lousy way of keeping score          
That my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.          
Thatsometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.          
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.          
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.          
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.          
That you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish.   Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.          
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.          
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.          
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn  to forgive yourself.          
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.          
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,  but we are responsible for who we become.          
That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other  And  that sometimes you have to put the individual ahead of their actions.          
That we don't have to change friends If we understand that friends change.          
That two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.          
That there are many ways of falling and staying in love.          
That no matter the consequences, those who are honest with themselves get farther in life.          
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.          
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.          
That writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains.          
That the paradigm we live in is not all that is offered to us.          
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.          
That the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon.          
That although the word *love* can have many different meanings, it loses value when overly used.          
That it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe.
To Have Succeeded
by Ralph Waldo Emerson


To laugh often and love much;
To win the respect of intelligent people
And the affection of children;
To earn the approbation of honest critics
And endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To give one's self;
To leave the world a little better,
Whether by a healthy child,
A garden patch,
Or a redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm
And sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier
Because you have lived ...
This is to have succeeded.
The following pages are just random thoughts I have come across in my journey through life that I thought were worth hanging on to.  Where I have known the source, I have given credit.