After awhile you learn

the subtle difference between

holding a hand and chaining a soul

and you learn that love doesn't mean possession

and company doesn't mean security.

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts

and presents aren't promises and you begin to

accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes ahead

with the grace of an adult not the grief of a child.

And you learn to build your roads today

because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans

and futures have ways of falling down in mid-flight.

After awhile you learn that even sunshine

burns if you get too much so you plant your

own garden and decorate your own soul

instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure

that you really are strong

and you really do have worth

and you learn

and you learn...

with every goodbye you learn.

Two men look out through the same bars:

One sees the mud, and one the stars.

Fredrick Langbridge

I wonder whether the stars are set alight in heaven so

that one day each one of us may find his own

again....the stars, the desert -- what gives them their

beauty is something that is invisible....It is only with

the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is

invisible to the eye.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

If I could, I'd comb the sky

and collect the stars,

quickly pile them into a basket

until it overflowed with silvery light.

And then I'd give the basket to you,

because all things precious

and beautiful should be yours today.

I Want To Be Six Again
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З ЗЗ .ЗЗ. З..З ..ЗЗ. З..З З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З ЗЗ

(AUTHOR UNKNOWN)

To Whom It May Concern:
I am hereby officially tendering my resignation
as an adult in order to accept the responsibilities
of a 6 year old. . .
The tax base is lower. . .

I want to go to McDonald's and think
it's the best place in the world to eat.
I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle
and make waves with rocks.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to think M&Ms are better than money
'cause you can eat them.
I want to play kickball during recess
and stay up on Christmas Eve
waiting to hear Santa and Rudolph on the roof.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I long for the days when life was simple.
When all you knew were your colors,
the addition tables, and simple nursery rhymes,
but it didn't bother you
because you didn't know what you didn't know
and you didn't care.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to go to school and
have snack time, recess, gym, and field trips.
I want to be happy because
I don't know what should make me upset.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to think the world is fair
and everyone in it is honest and good.
I want to believe that anything is possible.
Sometime, while I was maturing,
I learned too much.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I learned of nuclear weapons,
starving and abused kids,
and unhappy marriages.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to be six again.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to think that everyone,
including myself, will live forever
because I don't know the concept of death.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to be oblivious to the complexity of life,
and be overly excited by the little things again.
I want television to be something I watch for fun,
not something I use for escape
from the things I should be doing.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to live knowing the little things
I find exciting will always make me as happy
as when I first learned them.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to be six again.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I remember not seeing the world as a whole,
but rather being aware of only the things
that directly concerned me.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to be naive enough to think
that if I'm happy, so is everyone else.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to walk down the beach
and think only of the sand beneath my feet,
and the possibility of finding
that blue piece of sea glass I'm looking for.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to spend my afternoons
climbing trees and riding my bike,
letting the grownups worry about time, the dentist,
and how to find the money to fix the car.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to wonder what I'll do when I grow up,
not worry what I'll do if this doesn't work out.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want that time back.
I want to use it now as an escape,
so that when my computer crashes,
or I have a mountain of paperwork,
or two depressed friends,
or second thoughts about so many things.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to travel back and build a snowman
without thinking about anything
except whether the snow sticks together
and what I can possibly use
for the snowman's mouth.
З .ЗЗ. З..З .ЗЗ. З..З З
I want to be six again.

Things We Can Learn from a Dog

1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.

2. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

4. When it's in your best interest, always practice obedience.

5. Let others know when they've invaded your territory.

6. Take naps and always stretch before rising.

7. Run, romp, and play daily.

8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.

9. Be loyal.

10. Never pretend to be something you're not.

11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

12. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

13. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

14. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

15. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

16. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

17. When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

18. No matter how often you are criticized, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout. Run right back and make friends.

What I've Learned
Author Unknown

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.

I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts.

I've learned that you can get by on charm for about 15 minutes. After that, you'd better know something.

I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do, but to the best you can do.

I've learned that it's not what happens to people that's important.

It's what they do about it.

I've learned that you can do something in an instant that will give you a heartache for life.

I've learned that no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides.

I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I've learned that it's a lot easier to react than it is to think.

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 you can keep going long after you think you can't.

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 learning to forgive takes practice.

I've learned that there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it.

I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I've learned that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down may be the ones to help you get back up.

I've learned that I'm getting more and more like my grandma, and I'm kinda happy about it.

I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry 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 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 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 you should never tell a child her dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if she believed it.

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 someone 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 sometimes when my friends fight, I'm forced to choose sides even when I don't want to.

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 sometimes you have to put the individual ahead of their actions.

I've learned that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I've learned that if you don't want to forget something, stick it in your underwear drawer.

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 the clothes I like best are the ones with the most holes in them.

I've learned that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I've learned that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.

I've learned that there are many ways of falling and staying in love.

I've learned that no matter the consequences, those who are honest with themselves, get further in life.

I've learned that many things can be powered by the mind, the trick is self-control.

I've learned that no matter how many friends you have, if you are their pillar, you will feel lonely and lost at the times you need them most.

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 writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains.

I've learned that the paradigm we live in is not all that is offered to us.

I've learned that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

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

I've learned that although the word "love" can have many different meanings, it loses value when overly used.

I've learned 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.

I've learned that no matter how fast or how far you go, you can't outrun God.

I've learned that no matter how far away I've been, God'll always welcome me back.

I've learned that love is not for me to keep, but to pass on to the next person I see.

I've learned that even if you do the right thing for the wrong reason, it's still the wrong thing to do.

A Creed To Live By...
By Nancye Sims

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others
It is because we are different that each of us is special

Don't let your goals be what other people deem important
Only you know what's best for you

Don't take for granted the things close to your heart
Cling to them as you would your life!
For without them life is meaningless

Don't let your life slip through your fingers
By living in the past or for the future...
By living your life one day at a time,
You live all the days of your life

Don't give up when you have something to give,
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less perfect,
It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other,

Don't be afraid to encounter risk,
It is by taking chances that we learn to be brave

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find

The quickest way to receive love, is to give love,
The fastest way to lose love is to hold too tightly
And the best way to keep love is to give it wings

Don't dismiss your dreams
To be without dreams, is to be without hope
To be without hope is to be without purpose

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where
you've been but also where you're going

LIFE IS NOT A RACE, BUT A JOURNEY
TO BE SAVOURED EACH STEP OF THE WAY......