You -The Sum Total of All You See, Smell and Taste

“You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there.  Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.”  Maya Angelou

Your life, the person you are, has been shaped by every single moment and event you’ve experienced… the good, the bad, they are all part of what makes you… you.  But by that measure, it stands to reason that you can change your life, and yourself, by being deliberate about what you see, and hear, and taste, and experience.  You can create a better you by wisely choosing what you let shape you.

Positive thoughts, uplifting conversations, encouraging relationships, joyful experiences – these will create the kind of life we long for.  Will your experiences today bring you closer to the life you desire, or move you farther away?  Everything influences us, so make sure that your experiences are positive.

“I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. ” Philippians 4:8 – The Message

 

 

They Say It’s a Crazy Little Thing, It’s a Battle Field, and It’s All You Need

love is understanding and enduring.  it is uncomplaining and untiring – love is patient

love is thoughtful and it’s gracious.  it is considerate – love is kind

love does not resent or oppose.  it wishes no ill-will.  love does not envy

love shows humility.  it is not boastful or arrogant.  love is not proud

love does not blame or insult.  it holds in high regard.  love does not dishonor others

love is not selfish or conceited.  it is not boastful.  love is not self-seeking

love does not keep score or dwell on the past.  love keeps no record of wrongs

love defends, it always protects

love always trusts, always hopes, always endures

loves finishes, it wins.  love never fails.

Quintessential Quotes – Advice That Lies Behind the Doors of Life

Doors… for some they represent opportunity, for others a barrier.  They offer an invitation when opened, and rejection when closed.  They invite curiosity, imagining what lies on the other side of a locked door, and they also bring finality and closure.

In the dichotomy of doors, there is much wisdom to be found… the quintessential quotes.  Enjoy.

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”  Confucius

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”  Milton Berle

“You build on failure.  You use it as a stepping stone.  Close the door on the past.  You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it.  You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.”  Johnny Cash

“Fear will always knock on your door.  Just don’t invite it in for dinner.  And for heaven’s sake, don’t offer it a bed for the night.”  Max Lucado

“Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.”  Kyle Chandler

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”  Alexander Graham Bell

“I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.”  Jesus

“It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal.”  Helen Keller

“Every prayer is a knock on Heaven’s door.”  Rumi

“Preconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom.”  Mary Browne

“The doors will be opened to those who are bold enough to knock.”  Tony Gaskins

“Ideas can be life-changing.  Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.”  Jim Rohn

“God enters by a private door into every individual.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Poetically Speaking – Love for Illusion

We close our eyes

When the world gets too hard to take

And if somehow that should fail to work

Then we can always walk away

 

Love for illusion

what do we really see?

Love for illusion

we see what we want to see

It’s the love for illusion

that takes me away

 

And we walk away

when trouble hits too close to home

Never deal with the problems

never even admit there’s one… just walk away

 

Love for illusion

what do we really see?

Love for illusion

we see what we want to see

It’s the love for illusion

that takes me away

from you

Poetically Speaking – Set Me Free

I’m standing alone, I feel I’m in a daze

Someone’s walking through my mind driving me insane

I feel it, feel it tear me away

I hear you calling to me but your voice just fades away…

 

Like a drug you start to steal away my mind

This tunnel vision, blindness, seem to shut out all the light

God, I wish I could leave this all behind me

Set me free

 

Silent desperation, faceless people in a crowd

Close your eyes, don’t listen – the silence speaks so loud

I believe that you died for me

Still I’m frightened these feelings are never going to leave

Never leave

Set me free

Only you can set me free

Poetically Speaking – Make Me Believe

Hello, God?   Are you listening when I call your name?

And I’m wondering, do you hear me when I cry out in pain?

I know you said you love me, but at times that’s hard to see

But if it’s true then God make me believe

 

Hello, God?  If you love me, then why is my life so bad?

And I’m wondering, if you really died then how did you come back?

I know they say you rose again, but at times that’s hard to see

But if it’s true then God make me believe

 

Hello God, if you hear me then why don’t you answer me?

And hey Lord, if you’re really there then why can’t you be seen?

I know they say you walked this earth, but at times that’s hard to see

But if it’s true then God make me believe

And if you’re real then God make me believe