"INSPIRATION"
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Can you fly
Have you ever tried
Just close your eyes
Take my hand
Lift your feet
From the land
Above the clouds
Where no one sees
There is no concrete
There are no trees
Just two who flew
Just you and me
What fabulous sights
When we're high as kites
Can't you see
Just you and me
Just you and me
Copyright © 1999 Charlie Owens --- Minnesota



God Can

When you feel unlovable, unworthy and unclean,
when you think that no one can heal you,
Remember, Friend,
God Can.

When you think that you are unforgivable
for your guilt and your shame
Remember, Friend,
God Can.

When you think that all is hidden
and no one can see within
Remember, Friend,
God Can.

And when you have reached the bottom
And you think that no one can hear
Remember my dear Friend
God Can.

And when you think that no one can love
The real person deep inside of you
Remember my dear Friend,
God Does.
Author Unknown --- Submitted by Esther Chai --- Malaysia



"Hope is the thing with feathers --- that perches in the soul --- and sings the tune without words --- and never stops, at all."
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson --- Sent in by Sharon Ogden --- Kentucky



"If you are patience in one moment of anger,
You will escape a hundred days of sorrow."
Chinese Proverb Sent in by Chris Deines --- Florida



He Gathers Every Teardrop

Regardless of the circumstances,
Regardless of the fear;
Regardless of the pain we bear,
Regardless of the tear....

God is ever in control,
Performing as He should,
And He has promised in His Word,
To work things for our good...

But as a loving Father would,
He sometimes let us cry;
To cleanse the hurt out of our heart,
To wash it from our eye.

Yet gently gathers the tears,
Within His hands to stay;
Until He turns them into pearls,
And gives them back someday.
Copyright © Glenda Fulton Davis --- Submitted by Charity --- Singapore



"If you nurture patience in yourself,
The things you desire will come more quickly and with less effort."
Copyright © 1999 Lori Hard --- Nevada



"Life can be like a roller coaster...
And just when you think you've had enough,
And your ready to get off the ride and take the calm, easy merry-go round...
You change your mind, throw you hands in the air
And ride the roller coaster all over again.
That's exhilaration...that's living a bit on the edge...that's being ALIVE."
Copyright © 1999 Stacey Charter --- Pennsylvania



"Nothing bad lasts forever.
The only thing that lasts forever
Is God's love for you."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Janet Croshaw --- Pennsylvania



"To adopt a child does in no way intimate that you have failed in nature, but rather is the ultimate pronouncement that you have overwhelmingly succeeded in selfless nurture."
Copyright © 1999 Brian G. Jett --- Kentucky



"When you feel lost, look for the Lighthouse in your Soul."
Copyright © 1999 Joe Perez --- Texas



"Conquer today & you will conquer the future."
Copyright © 1999 Lyn Roos --- Ohio



"It's necessary to be extremely ordinary to become extraordinary."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Natarajan Dakshinamurthy --- Oregon



"Next time you feel lonely,
Take a walk under the stars
And feel the magic of not being alone."
Copyright © 1999 Joe A. "Old Salt" Perez --- Texas



RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS

"I have a little recipe that isn't hard to make
But you must always start as soon as you awake.
Take a great big mixing bowl and fill it with a smile
Mix half a cup of sunshine with good deeds to last a while.
Add a pinch of work and play, a pinch of thoughtfulness and care
But don't bake it in the oven, just spread it around everywhere."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Teresa Meyer --- Perth, Western Australia



"Life is like playing a violin solo in public
And learning the instrument as one goes on."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Sharon Ogden --- Kentucky



"Whoever marries solely for power and position
God will only increase him in humiliation.
Whoever marries solely for wealth
God will only increase him in poverty.
Whoever marries because of beauty
God will only increase him in ugliness.
But whoever marries in order that he may restrain his eyes,
Observe cautiousness and treat his relations kindly,
God puts blessing in her for him and in him for her."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Nora Magnus --- Singapore



I am a Star

"A thousand stars beckon me,
A million destinies to live for.
Isn't my life an infinite possibility?
Isn't my life an eternal truth?
In the minuscule world of reality,
In the naive world of existence,
Is not the spirit of a higher order,
With Greater things to do than just earn bread?
My horizons are limitless.
My vision is endless.
I am a star in a big, big Universe.
I have no beginning. I have no end.
I exist to sparkle. I live to shine.
Somewhere, someone always sees me as a star
And that gives me enough reason to smile.
Small glories of the material world pale
In face of the truth of my eternal existence.
Life, in it's simplest form,
Is a star; shining for someone, somewhere.
I am a star ! I live to SHINE !"
Copyright © 1999 Nirvikar Dahiya --- India



"We must never walk away from the truth."
Rosbel Cruz --- Texas



"Have great hopes and dare to go all out for them.
Have great dreams and dare to live them.
Have tremendous expectations and believe in them."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Serene Yang --- Malaysia



"A strong mind leads to a strong heart
That leads to a soul that is at peace with itself."
Juion Mithchell --- Sent in by A.C. Jones --- Louisiana



God's Will

"When family and friends
Have left us behind
And we'd rather they dwelled with us still.
We're inclined to excuse
And to justify loss.
By claiming it all as God's will.

As catastrophe strikes
With storm and dismay;
And through pain and disaster we plod.
How often is heard
Explanations of blame
As our trials are explained "acts of God."

When family was close
And friends were a joy
And our love a delight and a thrill.
As our happiness grew
Did we bother to think
This also is proof of God's will.

With sunshine on high
And health in our veins
And a bountiful crop from the sod.
How often we fail
To justify these
As other great acts of our God."
Copyright © 1989 Owen D. Baker --- New Zealand



"Who is the richer?
The one who tramples over everyone to become successful and wealthy
Or the one who gives a bowl of soup and a blanket to a homeless child?

Who is the winner?
The one who races to the finish line
Or the one who stops to help a fallen opponent?

Who is the happier?
The one full of hate and memorized grudges
Or the one who forgives and understands everyone whom wrongs them?

Success and happiness are attainable most readily
When they are not taken but given."
Copyright © 1999 Lori Hard --- Nevada



Legacy of An Adopted Child

"Once there were two women who never knew each other
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother
Two different lives shaped to make you one
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun
The first one gave you life, the second one taught you to live it
The first gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it
One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name.
One gave you a talent, the other gave you aim
One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears
One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears
One sought for you a home that she could not provide
The other prayed for a child, and her hope was not denied
And now you ask me through your tears the age old question
Unanswered through the years
Heredity or environment --- which are you a product of?
Neither my darling, just two different kinds of love."
Author Unknown --- Contributed by Tanya Jett --- Kentucky



"God will honor those who are responsible with a higher awareness."
Eric J. Zatko --- Ohio



"God, often in his wisdom, sends his angels down to walk with us.
We know them best as friends."
S.S. (Kit) --- Oklahoma



GOD'S HANDS

" Sometimes we must be hurt in order to grow,
We must fail in order to know,
We must lose in order to gain,
Some lessons are learned best only through pain.
Sometimes our vision clears,
Only after our eyes are washed with tears.
Sometimes we have to be broken,
So we can be tender;
Sick, so we can rest and think better
On things more important than work or fun;
Trip near death, so we can assess how we've ran.
Sometimes we have to suffer lack,
So we can know God's provisions.
Feel another's pain,
So we can have a sense of mission.
So take heart my friend,
If you don't understand today,
Instead of grumbling, ask God what he means to say
In order to learn, you must endure
And learn to see the bigger picture
In order to grow, you must stand
Look beyond the hurt, to God's loving hands
That takes what is good
And give what is best
And on this blessed thought : REST
As your anxious heart, with questions : WAIT
God's hand only gives, what his loving heart dictates."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Jen, Age 19 --- Philippines



"When we all question the troubles that face us in this life,
Remember that God is :
Too kind to be cruel,
Too wise to make a mistake
And
Too deep to explain himself."
Heard during a sermon at church --- Submitted by Karen Lynch



"When you live with love, creativity, faith and service to others,
Your life is so much more interesting.
Life has meaning, purpose and reward
When you can turn your passion into a profession.
You never get bored.
Just like water never gets tired of flowing,
You will never get tired of living and doing what comes natural for you."
Copyright © Jewel Diamond Taylor --- California



Be Careful What You Wish For

"Be careful what you wish for
For Gods ears are so vast
He hears your wants
Your needs
Your dreams
And questions that you ask
He answers them in His own time
To fit His master plan
So for now I am content
To put it in His hands"
Inspired by Billy --- Copyright © Rebecca Douthit



"One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true.
One life can make the difference,
You see it's up to YOU!"
Author Unknown --- Submitted by Esther Chai --- Malaysia



When You Have Tears

"When you have tears burning deep in your soul
You must let them out so you can heal and be whole.
You must simply allow yourself to cry
Just don't be scared, you can do it, try!
You have to let go, yes I know that it's scary
But I am here to help you carry.
You won't get better unless you let go
Of all the sorrow that tortures you so.
Unlock your inner doors, feel the relief
when someone steps in to share your grief."
Copyright © 1999 Marianne, aka Songviolin --- Sweden



"I thank God for the real friends that I have
And even the real friend that I am! "
Geri Philips --- Texas



"Great it is to dream the dream
When you stand in youth by the starry stream,
But a greater thing to fight life through and say at the end,
The dream is true."
Pastor John Osteen --- Sent in by Leana Baggett --- Texas



Victory in Defeat

"Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.
When the great oak is straining in the wind, the boughs drink in new beauty
And the trunk sends down deeper root on the windward side.
Only the soul who knows the mighty grief can know the mighty rapture.
Sorrows come to stretch out spaces in the heart for joy."
Edwin Markham --- Submitted by DJ Wagner --- New Jersey
--- Author's name provided by Debbie Dickinson --- 5/30/00




"When it rains, the dry fields become green, and flowers grow.
When it pours, the water floods the fields and, for a while,
It is hard to remember that the sun will shine again."
Copyright © 1999 G.M.A. McGuane --- Colorado



To Hear The Soul

"If you listen carefully ... very softly ...
You can hear your soul speak.
It is a connection of spirit and sound,
One that is there with all of it's love and light.
The voice is clearer, and the words will inspire and heal you."
Copyright © Tamara Robinson



God's Will

"I know not by what methods rare
But I know this; God answers prayer.
I know not if the blessings sought
Will come in just the guise I thought
I leave my prayer to Him alone
Whose will is wiser than my own."
Eliza M Hickok --- Sent in by Ward Bond --- Missouri



Souls

"Once upon a time there were souls of twenty.

Each was equal in value although differed in content plenty.

Some were pleasant, compassionate, and vicarious.

Certain souls were insightful, amusing and curious.

Sadly, in this land, a few souls were less tolerant, patient and fair.

All were placed in physical bodies differing in age, race and ability there.

Various bodies were attractive, well proportioned, and healthy with strong builds.
br>Yet a number of bodies required glasses, support in moving, and learning daily life skills.

Amongst these twenty souls dwelled varied talent, emotions, and potential to excel.

Alas, one could not tell what the exact contents merely by looking at the outer shell.

As educators and humans we focus on being positive influences in the following chapter.

For it is our duty to assist all our fellow souls if everyone is to live happily ever after."
Copyright 1999 George Goss --- Washington



THE POWER TO CHOSE IS YOUR GREATEST POWER

"At anytime, you can decide to alter the course of your life.
No one can ever take that away from you.
You can control your own destiny;
Make yourself do what ever is possible,
Make yourself become whatever you long to be.

You don't have to buy from anyone.
You don't have to work at a particular job.
You don't have to participate in any given relationship.
You can choose.
The choice is yours.
It is always your next move."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Andrew Ho --- Malaysia



"We shall see but little way if we require to understand what we see.
How few things can a man measure with the tape of his understanding!
How many greater things might he be seeing in the meanwhile!"
Henry David Thoreau --- Sent in by Tammy A. Stinson --- California



The Milestone of Hope

"Never count the milestone as you pass them one by one.
Count your blessings, count your friends,
Unafraid of anything you see -
Believing that the best of the years is yet to be."
Cecilia Leigh --- Sent in by Cecilia Menon --- Sharjah, United Arab Emirates



"Seven days without prayer makes one WEAK."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Kirk Scherz --- Washington



Just A Few Little Words

"It only takes a few little words to cause much pain,
and it only takes a few words to cause much happiness.
It only takes a few words to crush a heart,
and it only takes a few words to give a heart joy.
It only takes a few words to alienate a friendship,
and it only takes a few words to make a friendship blossom.
It only takes a few words to cause someone to go astray,
and it only takes a few words to help them find their way back again.

It only takes a few words to destroy someone's hopes and dreams,
and it only takes a few words
to give a person reason to hope and dream again.
It only takes a few words to make someone cry,
and it only takes a few words to take their tears away.
It only takes a few words to make someone's day sad and dreary,
and it only takes a few words to make someone's day happy and cheery.
It only takes a few words to cause dark clouds to appear,
and it only takes a few words to chase all those dark clouds away.

Just a few little words can comfort one in grief, can soothe a broken heart,
can bring one back from the brink of despair.
Just a few little words can help someone cope,
can help someone lonely feel not so alone.
Just a few words can calm someone's fears,
and ease someone's troubled thoughts.
Just a few little words can brighten someone's day,
and make their road in life easier to travel.
Just a few little words can lift someone's burdens,
and help them make it through the day."
Copyright © 1999 Walter Westfall --- Illinois



"What could you want that forgiveness cannot give?
Do you want peace? Forgiveness offers it.
Do you want happiness, a quiet mind, a certainty of purpose,
And a sense of worth and beauty that transcends the world?
Do you want care and safety, and warmth of sure protection always?
Do you want a quietness that cannot be disturbed,
A gentleness that cannot be hurt,
A deep abiding comfort and a rest so perfect
It can never be upset?
All this forgiveness offers you.
You, who want peace, can find it only
By complete forgiveness."
From A Course in Miracles --- Sent in by Claudia, Age 15 --- Australia



"Life is full of obstacles. Viewing life as an obstacle course eliminates the obstacles and centers our focus on creatively finding a way under, over, around or through them!"
Brian G. Jett --- Kentucky



"The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy."
Meryl Streep, quoted by Michael Segell in Cosmopolitan
--- Submitted by Lori Hard --- Nevada




"The man who lives for God, never dies."
Conrad Jenkins --- Virginia



"I will love you no matter what.
I will love you if you slip or fall on your face,
If you do the wrong thing,
If you make mistakes,
If you behave like a human.
I will love you no matter."
Leo Buscaglia --- Sent in by Molly Tucker --- Kansas



"Never let anything pull you down.
Accept things - good or bad.
Pick yourself up.
Nothing's too good to lose your life over."
Fiza Khan --- California



"If one is afraid to die, then one is also afraid to live.
For those who die in doing things, do things worth living for."
Adam Coulter --- North Carolina



"May your course through life be full of joy to yourself and others and when your own star shall set at life's close, may it set as the morning star that goeth not down behind the darkened west but melts away into the brightness of Heaven."
Author Unknown (From A Father to His Son --- 1929)
--- Contributed by Tanya L. Jett




"Your first words every morning should be, "Here I am, send me."
Prayer is asking for rain; faith is carrying the umbrella.
Regret looks back. Worry looks around. Faith looks up."
From the book Momentum Builders by John Mason
--- Sent in by Carol Broughton --- Missouri




"Let not your heart be troubled;
You believe in God, believe also in me."
John 14:1 --- Sent in by Jason Cashing --- Pennsylvania



"Deep within you resides the power
To persevere, to press through your present pain.
You will heal.
For you have known deep pain before,
And you will be a survivor this time too.
Your strength is truly far greater than you know.
So keep your visions clear, your dreams alive.
And in time, your dark night will fade
Into the clear, warm, morning light of healing!"
Copyright © Caroline Joy Adams --- Sent in by Tara White --- Nebraska



"Be as kind to yourself as you are willing to be to others."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Rob Bremer --- Tennessee



"You will not grow if you sit in a beautiful flower garden,
But you will grow if you are sick,
If you are in pain, if you experience losses,
And if you do not put your head in the sand,
But take the pain as a gift to you with a very, very specific purpose."
Elizabeth Kubler Ross --- Submitted by Nikol --- Louisiana



"Believe in yourself.
Be proud of who you really are."
Fiza Khan --- California



"Intuition is a spiritual faculty
And does not explain,
But simply points the way."
Florence Scovel Shinn --- Sent in by Tara White --- Nebraska



"The counting of years matters little,
It's what we put into the years that gives them meaning."
Judy Bankey --- North Carolina



May You Forever See Rainbows

"When your fields of wild flowers have gone bare
And you sky is stone grey
I have but one wish
May you forever see rainbows
And be brought to better days"
Copyright © 1999 William Joseph Igel



BROKEN DREAMS

"As children bring their broken toys
With tears for us to mend,
I brought my broken dreams to God
Because He was my Friend.

But then instead of leaving him
In peace to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help
With ways that were my own.

At last I snatched them back and cried
How can You be so slow?
My child, He said,
What could I do?
You never did let go."
Author Unknown
--- Contributed by Debbie Lincoln --- Singapore
--- Contributed by Shujuan --- Singapore




God's Rainbow

"The falling rain dissolves into mist
And the thunder begins to die
As the sporadic lightning fades
An arch of color pours from the sky.

Rainbows appear after mighty storms
When things look their worst
Just when the shy is darkest gray,
Out of Heaven does a rainbow burst.

God first sent the rainbow to Noah
As a sign that His word is true
The rainbow's eternal message
Still speaks to me and you.

The rainbow is a sign of God's promise
That He will guide us through any storm
That He will ease all our troubles,
No matter what their form.

When you feel battered by life's storms
And you are filled with doubt and dismay
Just remember God's rainbow is coming,
For it's blessing you have only to pray."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by V. Ford --- Tennessee



"God does not take vacation, nor does he sleep."
Karen Broadwater --- Ohio



The Road Is Too Rough

"The road is too rough, I said,
Dear Lord, there are stones that hurt me so.
And He said, Dear child, I understand,
I walked it long ago.

But there's a cool green path, I said;
Let me walk there for a time.
No child, He gently answered me,
The green path does not climb.

My burden, I said, Is far too great,
How can I bear it so?
My child, He said, I remember the weight;
I carried My cross, you know.

But I said, I wish there were friends with me
Who would make my way their own.
Oh, yes, He said, Gethsemane
Was hard to bear alone.

And so I climb the stony path,
Content at last to know
That where my Master had not gone,
I would not need to go.

And strangely then I found new friends,
The burden grew less sore;
And I remember - long ago
He went that way before."
Copyright © Olga J. Weiss --- Submitted by Charity --- Singapore



"God can do tremendous things
Through the person who doesn't care who gets the credit."
Unknown --- Sent in by Beth McGarey --- Michigan



"When all is said and done;
The unselfish acts of what we have done,
Without asking for anything in return,
Will have said it all!"
Copyright © 1999 --- Brian G. Jett --- Kentucky



"When you meet anyone, remember its a holy encounter.
As you see him, you will see yourself.
As you treat him, you will treat yourself.
Never forget this, for in him, you will find or lose yourself."
From 'A Course in Miracles' --- Sent in by Desmond --- Singapore



"In order to be happy you must take time to do positive things and things that make you happy. Don't do things to please others or just to get by. Do things because you want to and because they can have a positive impact on the lives of others around you."
Copyright © Kecia L. Addison, M.Ed. --- Maryland



"Beareth all things,
Believeth all things,
Hopeth all things,
Endureth all things."
Corinthians (The Bible) --- Sent in by Shelly Edson --- Vermont



"If we meet and you forget me, you have lost nothing.
If you meet Jesus Christ and you forget Him,
Then you have lost everything."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Mary Lynn Delfino --- Pennsylvania



Possibility Thinkers Creed:

"When faced with a mountain,
I will not quit!
I will keep on striving until I climb over,
Find a pass through, tunnel underneath,
Or simply stay and turn the mountain into a gold mine ---
With God's help!"
Robert Schuller --- Submitted by Beth McGarey --- Michigan
--- Author's name provided by Jane L. Houck 9-13-99




"So friend, when your nights are filled with loneliness
And your days dark with discouragement...
When you can't seem to read or pray
Or to do anything else,
Just sit still and let God love you."
Author Unknown --- Submitted by P. Holan --- Wisconsin



"It's not what you do, but what you don't do."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Austin Bruton --- Texas



"What we receive by reaching our destiny is not nearly as important
As what we become by stretching towards it."
Author Unknown --- Sent in by Teresa Meyer --- Perth, Western Australia



God is rarely early, but always on time."
Heard on a Christian radio station --- Sent in by Gary Lee --- Maryland



In His Time

I wait on God to bring to pass all He has promised me.
And as I wait, I rest in faith for what I cannot see.
For in His way, He will provide at just the perfect time
Everything that's good and right to bless this life of mine. "
Roy Lessin --- Submitted by Jennifer Kobke --- Florida