Desiderata
•••
(Max Ehrmann)
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for
there will always be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your
achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble. It is a real
possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your
business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But, let this not blind you
to what virtue there is. Many persons strive for high ideals and everywhere
life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about
love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as
the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of
youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune, but do
not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and
loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars. You
have a right to be here. And, whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the
universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion
of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken
dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.
The more you give, the more you get,
The more you laugh, the less you fret,
The more you do unselfishly,
The more you live abundantly…
The more of everything you share
The more you’ll always have to spare –
The more you love the more you’ll find
from day to day that life is good and friends are kind…..
For only what we give away, enriches us.
What is love?
•••
(Anon)
Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may
be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with
all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even
the dull and ignorant, they too have their story.
Give Lavishly!
Love Abundantly!
Love is Giving
••••
Love is giving, not taking,
mending, not breaking,
trusting, believing
never deceiving,
patiently bearing
and faithfully sharing
each joy, every sorrow,
today and tomorrow.
Love is kind, understanding
but never demanding.
Love is constant, prevailing,
it’s strength never failing.
A promise once spoken
for all time unbroken,
A lifetime together,
Love’s time is for ever.
Where
there is Love
•••
(Helen Steiner-Rice)
Where there is love
The heart is light,
Where there is love
The day is bright,
Where there is love
There is a song
To help when things
Are going wrong.
Where there is love
There is a smile
To make all things
Seem more worthwhile.
Where there is love
There’s quiet peace,
A tranquil place –
Love changes darkness
Into light
And makes the heart
Take ‘wingless flight’.
Oh, blest are they
Who walk in love.
•••
Sooner or later we begin to understand that love is more than verses on valentines and romance in the movies.
We begin to know that love is here and now, real and true, the most important thing in our lives.
For love is the creator of our favourite memories and the foundation of our fondest dreams.
Love is a promise that is always kept, a fortune that can never be spent,
a seed that can flourish in even the most unlikely of places.
And this radiance that never fades, this mysterious and magical joy, is the greatest treasure of all.
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