"Don't Quit"
By John Morton
When things go wrong, As they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a person turns about
When they might have won had they stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow-
You may suceed with another blow.
Often the struggler has given up
When they might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out-
So stick to the fight when you're
hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that you
Mustn't Quit!!!
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Something to Think About
By Robert Hastings
Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves
on a long trip that spans the continent. We are travelling by train. Out
of the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways,
of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant
hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn
and wheat, of flatlands, and valleys of mountains and rolling hillsides,
of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at
a certain hour we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and
flags waving. Once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true
and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw
puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for
loitering - waiting, waiting for the station.
"When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry. "When I am 18."
"When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz!" "When I put the last kid
through college!" "When I have paid off the mortgage!" "When I get a
promotion!" "When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily
ever after!"
Sooner or later, we must realize, "There is no station," No one place to
arrive at once and for all. "The true joy in life is the trip." The
station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more
mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers,
don't go to the gym, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must
be lived as we go along. The station comes soon enough.
Sent in by Bridget Kitley, a herbal farmer in South Africa.
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LOST
By Kori B.H.
Lost in the oblivion of love
Your face, your eyes, your touch
Are all I know of the vast space before me
I am consumed by the simplicity of your love
Left in awe by the way you handle me
Your very words touch the depths of my soul
As you warm arms engulf me, I have found my paradise,
My heaven and I float away to the sea of my subconscious
I have never known any love like this
It's comforting, like a child's teddy bear, like a nightlight
A beacon of hope and protection from the horrors of the darkest night
Just the thought of it makes me shiver
And I wonder why I am so lucky
In everything else I have failed
But, in this love I have won you, I have won
I have defeated this dragon, this demon
That has tried to wreck me from the inside out
And now I have you
And that's all that matters
As long as you'll always be there
I will be ever protected from the evils of this life.
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIFE
From Valerie Potterton, South Africa
1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
2. Memorize your favorite poem.
3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all
you want.
4. When you say, "I love you", mean it.
5. When you say, "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye.
6. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
7. Believe in love at first sight.
8. Never laugh at anyone's dreams.
9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's
the only way to live life completely.
10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
11. Don't judge people by their relatives.
12. Talk slow but think quick.
13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer,
smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?".
14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve
great risk.
15. Call your mom.
16. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
17. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
18. Remember the three R's:
Respect for self;
Respect for others;
Responsibility for all your actions.
19. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
20. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate
steps to correct it.
21. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in
your voice.
22. Marry a man/women you love to talk to. As you get older,
his conversational skills will be as important as any
other.
23. Spend some time alone.
24. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
25. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
26. Read more books and watch less TV.
27. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and
think back, you'll get to enjoy it a second time.
28. Trust in God but lock your car.
29. A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all
you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.
30. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current
situation. Don't bring up the past.
31. Read between the lines.
32. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
33. Be gentle with the earth.
34. Pray -- there's immeasurable power in it.
35. Never interrupt when you are being flattered.
36. Mind your own business.
37. Don't trust a LOVER who doesn't close his/her eyes when you
kiss them.
38. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
39. If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others
while you are living. That is wealth's greatest
satisfaction.
40. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a
stroke of luck.
41. Learn the rules then break some.
42. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love
for each other is greater than your need for each other.
43. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to
get it.
44. Remember that your character is your destiny.
45. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
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