May
07
2009
The Lord will bless his people with peace.
Oh, what a comfort! Oh, what a joy! To know that we God’s people will be blessed with peace. And how do we cash in on this offer — by truly Heart, Mind, Soul and Body becoming “his people”! We do this with our thought words and actions. We do this by the way we treat others. We do this by the way we remember God.
Yes, the Lord will bless us with peace,but first we must deserve it and be blessed by taking up the challenge to be his people!
Peace be with you,
Ann
Ps 29:1a and 2, 3ac-4, 3b and 9c-10
Feb
22
2009
Dear Friends and Readers,
I have decided to suspend updating this Blog — TrueQuotes.
I will be putting my efforts into my other Blog: God Family Crafts
It is my hope that you will visit God Family Crafts often, and also, that you will make plentiful use of the archives here at TrueQuotes.
Please check back from time-to-time and see if I have posted any special notices, and…
in the mean time - see you at God Family Crafts.
Peace be with you,
Ann
Jan
20
2009
Changes Coming !!
And YOU can help me make them!
I will be calling my Blog the same name, but my focus will change somewhat.
The format for benefits for today.com has changed and I want to focus my readership on readers who will:
- know what to expect and
- will come back daily to find inspiration.
I am more than interested in your comments and requests. E-mail me at stouts@nhvt.net or send a comment to this page. In particular, I would like to know what my readers would like to see stay the same, and what new things they would like to see
** If you don’t see changes before Jan 22, then come back Feb 1st. I will be in Rome during that time, with limited computer access. I will pray for you all.
The same with my other blog, God, Family, Crafts but you may enjoy reading the archives there!
Peace be with you,
Ann
Jan
10
2009
We find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve.
Maxwell Maltz
Each thing we undertake, each project we set out to do has an end goal. It is these end goals that that we pursue, it is for these that we willingly confront obstacles, in order to come to a successful end. Something as simple as writing a letter may present obstacles – finding the time, how to express oneself, who to write to and what to write about. When all is done, we have a feeling of accomplishment, happiness and satisfaction. We have reached our end goal and we feel empowered.
Of course, the real goals can be much bigger and end in a feeling of greater satisfaction. Whether it painting a room for the first time, making homemade bread with success, or changing a flat time. All present obstacle, all have end goals, all yield satisfaction.
Jan
05
2009
Learn to limit yourself , to content yourself with some definite thing, and some definite work; dare to be what you are, and learn to resign with a good grace all that you are not and to believe in your own individuality.
– Henri-Frédéric Amiel
My Blog, True Quotes features quotes the make you think. Well, this one sure made me think — probably because I am doing just the opposite. It is good advice that perhaps I should consider heartily myself.
I am a wife and mother first, but I am a photographer, artist and writer as well. In my role as mother, I homeschool my children. I am a grandmother, a daughter and a sister. I wear alot of hats!
Some of the things a person is, can be negotiable, others are our responsibility and that’s that.
I want to have a farm, and I raise chickens for eggs. I am thinking of adding another farm animal - a sheep or goat - next year. But the more I diversify myself and my activities, the less I limit myself, and the less I am content with my own “definite work” like Amiel suggests.
What does this quote say to you. Does it make you think? I hope so.
Dec
30
2008
Dove: The symbol of Hope
The past is a source of knowledge, and the future is a source of hope. Love of the past implies faith in the future.
– Stephen Ambrose
When you state it that way, Mr. Ambrose, it explains a lot. We all know that we need to learn from the past. And I suppose we could even view the fact that the future, and the fact that there is a future at all, gives us hope. But to put the two together, shows that we do indeed have hope and even faith in the future.
Of course, what do we need to succeed? We need a path clearly laid out — knowledge, and a belief that there is time to live it out and right spirit to live it out properly — hope.
Today I know that tomorrow, God willing, I will get out of bed. I have something to live for, something that I learned about in the past 50 years of my life. I know that God has given us another day, and that must be a good thing. I have knowledge and I have hope.
May you as well.
Dec
19
2008
Duty is ours, results are God’s
– John Quincy Adams
Wow, does that take a weight off my shoulders! In many areas of life, the outcome depends upon the choices of others. As a mother, I can raise my children the best I know how — that is my duty. Then I can rest. The results are God’s, says Adams.
Well, rest is not exactly what I am supposed to do. I am, most likely, expected to go on to my next duty, and again leave the results to God.
This quote brings to mind something said by Mother Theresa of Calcutta. “We are called upon not to be successful but to be faithful.”
The peace that this realization can bring is overwhelmeing. We cannot control it all! Nor should we try. Here we have it in the words of two great people - a statesman and a saint of our time.
Dec
12
2008
Learn the art of patience. apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.
– Brian Adams
What sense this makes! Patience in this case is called an art, but it has long been defined as a virtue. It is a universal goal, and in today’s world we need it even more. Each day we experience sensory overload, ads telling us we need this or that. We needn’t wait, we can have it right now. No need for patience.
But even more so, patience is needed in our personal relationships. Do we get impatient with those around us? Do we want things to move faster, work better, fall into line, as we perceive it? When working toward a goal, perseverance, patience is what we need. Sometimes anxiety can creep in, and then it actually can take over. Then we are confused, we are even more impatient.
It seems like a great goal, but it seem like a lot of work. If generations of wise people have counseled patience, then it is worth a try. Identify one area to work on, and see how much patience will make a difference.
Dec
10
2008
” If you wish success in life, make perseverence your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius.”
– Joseph Addison
Starting something and quitting is the surest way to failure. Perseverence will best serve the hope of reaching the end of an endeavor and attaining success. All along the way, as we persevere, we will learn from our experiences. This knowledge and experience will serve best when it comes to taking the next step, when it is time to make a move. It will counsel us as to which way to go.
Caution as the elder brother — now that is interesting. Some might say to succeed one needs to risk and be daring. Addison, on the other hand, recommends caution. Perhaps that metaphor of caution being an elder brother is significant. This brother protects, he shields from harm, he guides away from rash dicisions. Yes, caution has its place in success.
Hope, the ever present belief in one’s path and undertaking is the positive energy, the bouyancy that suports all these others. Hope will not allow for quitting, for it believes. Hope finds strength in experience and good sense in caution. Yet without hope, all these others would be worthless.
As a recipe for success, Addison has put us on the right track.
Dec
09
2008
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
– Douglas Adams
How many times do we start out in one direction and end up somewhere totally different. Perhaps it is just on a walk, in which we discover, by accident (or destiny) someplace really nice. Or a time when we get lost while driving and find a nice place we then visit again and again.
But Adams has something different in mind, I suspect. We plan our lives, oh, so carefully but with the passage of time, our plans change. Slightly or in a major way. We see things differently and make different choices. We are affected by finances, weather, the plans of others in our life. A side step from the path becomes a major detour.
Robert Frost knew it well. “Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back” (The Road Not Taken, http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html)
there is more than one way to say it,just like there is more than one way to get there - but in the end, we are where we are supposed to be.
