Today is like any other day for me. I guess the only difference is that today I am the first Forum member to hit 1,000 posts. My good friends Tampa and MarkyMark reminded me of this special occasion. I was not planning to hit the 1,000 mark so soon. However; the Forum is indeed addicting. LOL I have found many new friends in the Forum. Many I may have never met without this modern technological marvel called the Forum. I digress. I really want to say, I love and respect each of you.
We may never agree on a topic and we may never agree on who is cute and who is not. What we all seem to have in common is we are all spiritual beings experiencing a human condition. We are all more than our sum individually or as a whole. We are all connected by our passion for life, and our freedom to be who we are. We all appreciate watching a guy taking his first strides toward experiencing gay sex whether or not he is being paid to do so. The Forum is the place where we all come together to share stories of our lives and offer up support for those of us in need. To me the Forum is much more that a computer generated bulletin board. It is a place to learn, share, and grow: mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I wish to quote George Matthew Adams,”It's what each of us sows, and how, that gives to us character and prestige. Seeds of kindness, goodwill, and human understanding, planted in fertile soil, spring up into deathless friendships, big deeds of worth, and a memory that will not soon fade."
I wish to encourage everyone as you go through life to look for the gifts that have been given and not what we perceive has been taken. Life is what we make of it. We can choose to be bitter or we can look for ways and means to sweeten it. In life when we look for life’s hidden gifts we often find treasures worth more than gold, diamonds, or even oil. LOL I was privileged this week when Denny Bear sent me this excerpt via e-mail from “Charging the Human Battery,” By Mac Anderson
"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." -Eric Hoffer
“According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.
Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?"
The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of living-kindness and nothing could be sweeter."
Self-motivation without gratitude is impossible. Our energy is "sapped" when our entire focus is on what's wrong instead of what is right with our lives.
One of our greatest challenges is to live and love in spite of pain and disappointment...to find gratitude in the midst of it all.” (Thanks Denny Bear)
All too often we underestimate our own power to change lives and help heal ourselves and the human condition. We all wield great power and we have all been blessed by our Creator with free will to use the power how we see fit to use it. We have been given the power transform our lives and create our own destiny. We also have the power to help others make their life better, richer, and more complete. “We underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” - (Leo Buscaglia) The great lesson in life taught by all religions around the world is love yourself and love your neighbors as you would love yourself or as Creator would love you…
As Friends and members of the Forum; you have all helped me grow beyond my wildest dreams.
“I keep my friends as misers do their treasure, because, of all the things granted us by wisdom, none is greater or better than friendship.” – (Pietro Aretino)
You are all a treasure. Thank you all for being there and picking me up if I was down, for laughing even if it really wasn’t all that funny, for having the strength to correct me if I was wrong, and most of all for being you. You have all helped me grow and prosper in life and in spirit. Bless your hearts. Nameste…
We may never agree on a topic and we may never agree on who is cute and who is not. What we all seem to have in common is we are all spiritual beings experiencing a human condition. We are all more than our sum individually or as a whole. We are all connected by our passion for life, and our freedom to be who we are. We all appreciate watching a guy taking his first strides toward experiencing gay sex whether or not he is being paid to do so. The Forum is the place where we all come together to share stories of our lives and offer up support for those of us in need. To me the Forum is much more that a computer generated bulletin board. It is a place to learn, share, and grow: mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I wish to quote George Matthew Adams,”It's what each of us sows, and how, that gives to us character and prestige. Seeds of kindness, goodwill, and human understanding, planted in fertile soil, spring up into deathless friendships, big deeds of worth, and a memory that will not soon fade."
I wish to encourage everyone as you go through life to look for the gifts that have been given and not what we perceive has been taken. Life is what we make of it. We can choose to be bitter or we can look for ways and means to sweeten it. In life when we look for life’s hidden gifts we often find treasures worth more than gold, diamonds, or even oil. LOL I was privileged this week when Denny Bear sent me this excerpt via e-mail from “Charging the Human Battery,” By Mac Anderson
"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." -Eric Hoffer
“According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.
Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?"
The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of living-kindness and nothing could be sweeter."
Self-motivation without gratitude is impossible. Our energy is "sapped" when our entire focus is on what's wrong instead of what is right with our lives.
One of our greatest challenges is to live and love in spite of pain and disappointment...to find gratitude in the midst of it all.” (Thanks Denny Bear)
All too often we underestimate our own power to change lives and help heal ourselves and the human condition. We all wield great power and we have all been blessed by our Creator with free will to use the power how we see fit to use it. We have been given the power transform our lives and create our own destiny. We also have the power to help others make their life better, richer, and more complete. “We underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” - (Leo Buscaglia) The great lesson in life taught by all religions around the world is love yourself and love your neighbors as you would love yourself or as Creator would love you…
As Friends and members of the Forum; you have all helped me grow beyond my wildest dreams.
“I keep my friends as misers do their treasure, because, of all the things granted us by wisdom, none is greater or better than friendship.” – (Pietro Aretino)
You are all a treasure. Thank you all for being there and picking me up if I was down, for laughing even if it really wasn’t all that funny, for having the strength to correct me if I was wrong, and most of all for being you. You have all helped me grow and prosper in life and in spirit. Bless your hearts. Nameste…
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