Hope is
trust that God will fulfill God’s promises to us in a way that leads us to true
freedom. The optimist speaks about concrete changes in the future. The
person of hope lives in the moment with the knowledge and trust that all of
life is in good hands.
–Henri Nouwen Bread
for the Journey
And though I don’t know how today’s story will end, I
remember: faith thanks God in the middle of the story. -Ann Voskamp The Broken Way pg. 135
If today were your last, would you do what you’re doing? Or
would you love more, give more, forgive more? Then do so! Forgive and give as
if it were your last opportunity. Love like there’s no tomorrow, and if
tomorrow comes, love again. –Max Lucado
Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting ~ a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such
striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them
instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the
joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and
people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make
the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.
-
William Martin
"Are you
willing to forget what you have done for other people and to remember
what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you and
to think what you owe the world; to put your rights in the background and your
duties in the middle distance and your chances to do a little more than your
duty in the foreground; to see that your fellow men are just as real as you
are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy; to own
that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going
to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life; to close your book
of complaints against the management of the universe and look around you for a
place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness - are you willing to do these
things for even a day?......
....Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children; to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old; to stop asking how much your friends love you and ask yourself whether you love them enough; to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear on their hearts; to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you; to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front of you so that your shadow will fall behind you; to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open - are you willing to do these things for even a day?
Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world, - stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death, - and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem, is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? -Caroline Kennedy
The season of Epiphany extends from January 6
until Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. My friend Robert Benson wrote
this:
"Now the season of looking for Him
everywhere is upon us — the season of Epiphany is what they call it.
Heads up. Keep your eyes and ears and hands open. He is everywhere, and
He moves in pretty surprising ways. You do not want to miss Him."
“If you should happen to catch a glimpse of what really matters in life, regard it with care. Decorate it with flowers. Cover it with love. Hold it in the sunshine. Give it a little bit of time and attention. And when the world tries to push you forward, listen to your heart instead. Because if you don’t make time for what really matters, no one is going to do it for you. Taking a few minutes to savor everyday wonders makes the heart fuller, the inner doubts quieter, and the human connections stronger. And that’s when the ordinary becomes extraordinary for yourself and those who share your life.”
-Rachel Macy Stafford Hands Free Life: 9 Habits for Overcoming Distraction, Living Better and Loving More
