"An optimist is the 
            human personification
    of spring."
            Susan J. Bissonette

Dorothy Bernard Courage

"Courage is fear that
          has said it's prayers."
Dorothy Bernard

Two things determine 5 years from now...Charles Jones

                “You are the same today
 that you are going to be five years from now 
          except for two things: 
               the people with whom you associate 
  and the books you read.” 
                  Charles “Tremedous” Jones

Courage that counts

Success is never final
       and failure never fatal.

It's COURAGE that counts!

..to make us really happy..

We act as though
       comfort and luxury
   were the chief
requirements of life,
           when all we need 
   to make us really happy
      is something to be
enthusiastic about.
    ..Charles Kingsley

The Rose - Amanda McBroom

Some say love, it is a river, that drowns the tender reed
Some say love, it is a razor, that leaves your soul to bleed
Some say love, it is a hunger, an endless aching need
I say love, it is a flower, and you it's only seed

It's the heart, that fears the breaking, that never learns to dance
It's a dream, afraid of waking, that never takes the chance.
It's the one, who wont be taken, who can not seem to give
And the soul, afraid of dying, that never learns to live

When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long
And you think that love is only, for the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter, far beneath the bitter snow
Lies the seed, that with the son's love, in the spring, becomes the rose

In His Footsteps

The road is rough, I said dear Lord
There are some stones that hurt me so.
And he said, "Dear child, I understand,
I walked it long ago."
"But there is a cool green path" I said
"Let me walk there for a time".
"No child", He gently answered me,
"the green road does not climb."
"My burden", I said "is far too great, how can I bear it so?"
"My child", said He, "I remember its weight
I carried my cross you know."
"But" I said "I wish there were friends with me
who would make my way their own."
"Ah yes" said he "Gethsemane was hard to face alone"
And so I climbed 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.
As I remembered - long ago...
He went that way before.

Today

Outside my window, a new day I see
        and only I can determine
                  what kind of day it will be.

      It can be busy and sunny, laughing and gay
or boring and cold, unhappy and grey

   My own state of mind is the determining key
         for I am only the person I let myself be

   I can be thoughtful and do all I can to help
                  or be selfish and think just of myself

           I can enjoy what I do and make it seem fun
  or gripe and complain and make it hard on someone

      I can be patient with those who may not understand
                        or be little and hurt as much as I can

             But I have faith in myself, and believe what I say
   and I personally intend to make the best of each day

Keep Trying

      When things go wrong, and you wanted them right
And you feel like quitting, but you have to fight

    When disappointments come, and you feel like crying
And you want to run away, but you have to keep on trying

           Remember that success, means refusing to quit
It means you try harder, when you're hardest hit

        God's victory parade, with flags of triumph flying
Will soon be marching down your street

                               If you will keep on trying!

                                                 Perry Tanksley

strong

We either make ourselves miserable
                   or we make ourselves strong.
          The amount of work is the same.
-                                                                     Carlos Castenada

The Man who Thinks He Can - Walter D Wintle

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't;
If you like to win but think you can't
It's almost a cinch that you won't.
If you think you'll lose, your lost,
For out of the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself
Before you can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

~Walter D Wintle

What we GIVE ~ Churchill

"We make a living by what we get,
                   we make a life by what we give."
                                                      Sir Winston Churchill