No Tears Past The Gate
Someone new has entered our eternal home above,
the heavenly gate has opened to welcome one you love.
We cannot help the tears that fall, our hearts need time to grieve,
when earthly life has ended and a loved one has to leave.
Yet even in the saddest time, we know our Savior lives,
and we can trust completely in the promise that He gives.
That in a glad reunion with the Lord our loved ones wait,
to welcome us in joy with no more tears beyond the gate!
Author Unknown
“If you enter this world knowing you are loved
and you leave this world knowing the same,
then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.”
~Michael Jackson~
I Believe
Unknown
I Believe...
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 love each other.
I Believe...
We don't have to change friends if
we understand that friends change.
I Believe..
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 Believe...
True friendship continues to grow, even over
the longest distance..
The same goes for true love.
I Believe..
You can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.
I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.
I Believe...
You should always leave loved ones with loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.
I Believe...
You can keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...
We are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I Believe...
Either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe...
Money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I Believe...
My best friend and I, can do anything, or
nothing and have the best time.
I Believe...
Sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down,
will be the ones to help you get back up.
I Believe...
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 Believe..
It isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others.
sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I Believe...
No matter how badly your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I Believe...
Our background and circumstances may have
influenced who we are, but.
we are responsible for who we become.
I Believe...
Two people can look at the same
thing and see something totally different.
I Believe...
Your life can be changed in a matter of
hours by people who don't even know you.
I Believe...
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 Believe...
Credentials on the wall do not make you a
decent human being.
I Believe...
You should send this to all the people
you believe in, I just did.
I Believe...
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything.'
The Awakening
A time comes in your life when you finally get it. When in the midst of
all your fears and insanity you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere
the voice inside your head cries out - ENOUGH! Enough fighting and
crying or struggling to hold on. And like a child quieting down after a
blind tantrum, your sobs begin to subside, you shudder once or twice,
you blink back your tears and through a mantle of wet lashes you begin
to look at the world through new eyes. This is your awakening.
You realize that it's time to stop hoping and waiting for something to
change or for happiness, safety and security to come galloping over the
next horizon. You come to terms with the fact that he is not Prince
Charming and you are not Cinderella and that in the real world there
aren't always fairy tales endings (or beginnings for that matter) and
that any guarantee of "happily ever after" must begin with you, and in
the process, a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.
You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone
will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are and
that's O.K. They are entitled to their own views and opinions. And you
learn the importance of loving and championing yourself and in the
process a sense of newfound confidence is born of self-approval.
You stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to
you (or didn't do for you) and you learn that the only thing you can
really count on is the unexpected.
You learn that people don't always
say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will
always be there for you and that it's not always about you. So, you
learn to stand on your own and to take care or yourself and in the
process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.
You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as
they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties and in
the process a sense or peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.
You realize that much of the way you view yourself, and the world around
you, is as a result of all the messages and opinions that have been
ingrained into your psyche. You begin to sift through all the "stuff"
you've been fed about how to behave, how you should look, how much you
should weigh and what you should wear and where you should shop and what
you should drive, how and where you should live and what you should be
doing for a living, who you should sleep with, who you should marry and
what you should expect from a marriage, the importance of having and
raising children or what you owe your parents.
You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You
begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand
for.
You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin
to discard the doctrines and values you've outgrown, or should never
have bought into to begin with and in the process you learn to go with
your instincts.
You learn that it is truly in giving that we receive. And that there is
power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering
through life merely as a "consumer" looking for your next fix.
You learn
that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated
ideals of a bygone era but the mortar that holds together the foundation
upon which you must build a life.
You learn that you don't know everything, it's not your job to save the
world and that you can't teach a pig to sing. You learn to distinguish
between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting
boundaries and learning to say NO. You learn that the only cross to bear
is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.
Then you learn about love. Romantic love and familial love. How to love,
how much to give in love, when to stop giving and when to walk away.
You learn not to project your needs or your feelings onto a
relationship. You learn that you will not be more beautiful, more
intelligent, more lovable or important because of the man on your arm or
the child that bears your name.
You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you
would have them to be. You stop trying to control people, situations and
outcomes. You learn that just as people grow and change so it is with
love...and you learn that you don't have the right to demand love on
your terms...just to make YOU happy.
You learn that alone does not mean lonely. And you look in the mirror
and come to terms with the fact that you will never be a size five or a
perfect "10" and you stop trying to compete with the image inside your
head and agonizing over how you "stack up."
You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing
things over and ignoring your needs. You learn that feelings of
entitlement are perfectly O.K.... and that it is your right to want
things and to ask for the things that you want...and that sometimes it
is necessary to make demands.
You come to the realization that you deserve to be treated with love,
kindness, sensitivity and respect and you won't settle for less. And,
you allow only the hands of a lover who cherishes you to glorify you
with his touch...and in the process you internalize the meaning of
self-respect.
And you learn that your body really is your temple, and you begin to
care for it and treat it with respect. You begin eating a balanced diet,
drinking more water and taking more time to exercise. You learn
that fatigue diminishes the spirit and can create doubt and fear. So,
you take more time to rest. And just as food fuels the body, laughter
fuels our soul, so you take more time to laugh and play.
You learn, for the most part, in life you get what you believe you
deserve...and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that
wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making
it happen. More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success
you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You also learn that no
one can do it all alone and that it's O.K. to risk asking for help.
You learn that the only thing you must truly fear is the great robber
baron of all time - FEAR itself. You learn to step right into and
through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle
it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your
terms. And you learn to fight for your life and not to squander it
living under a cloud of impending doom.
You learn that life isn't always fair, you don't always get what you
think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting,
good people. On these occasions you learn not to personalize things.
You learn that God isn't punishing you or failing to answer your
prayers. It's just life happening. And you learn to deal with evil in
its most primal state - the ego.
You learn that negative feelings such as anger, envy, and resentment
must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of
you and poison the universe that surrounds you.
You learn to admit when
you are wrong and to building bridges instead of walls.
You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple
things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the
earth can only dream about, a full refrigerator, clean running water, a
soft warm bed, or a long hot shower.
Slowly, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and to
make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never ever
settle for less than your heart's desire. And you hang a wind chime
outside your window so you can listen to the wind. And you make it a
point to keep smiling, to keep trusting and to stay open to every
wonderful possibility.
Finally, with courage in your heart and with God by your side you take a
stand, you take a deep breath and you begin to design the life you want
to live as best you can.
Author unknown but greatly appreciated.
