Listen to the song

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round, or listened to rain slapping the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight, or gazed at the sun fading into the night? You better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly, When you ask "How are you?", do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed, with the next hundred chores running through your head? You better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last.

Ever told your child, we'll do it tomorrow, and in your haste not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch, let a good friendship die, 'cause you never had time to call and say "hi"? You better slow down, don't dance so fast, time is short, the music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere, you miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day, it's like an unopened gift thrown away. Life is not a race, so take it slower, hear the music, before the song is over.

Enlightenment

         Enlightenment is attained in the context of having the knowledge that you can-and will- never know all there is to know in the world.

         Within that context, the precise definition of enlightenment is contentment in the search, and the wisdom of realizing that even though you will never learn all there is to learn, that makes each bit of knowledge all the more precious. It leads to a more complete (yet never complete) person.

         Basically it's finding happiness in the quest for knowledge even though you know it's futile. Don't confuse happiness with joy. Being in a state of perpetual joy is entirely possible.

Total (100%) Happiness...
    on the other hand, is quite impossible to obtain.
( BLISS and/or CONTENTMENT IS possible! )

After all, what is the point of knowledge if you can not understand it?

         Although the question has never ever been answered, no one being has ever been capable of obtaining all the knowledge in the world.

          When one thinks one know it all- something new will develope of which you know nothing about... you might be enlightened by it's existance, but not neccesarily knowledgeble to it.

It is, by definition,
education that results in understanding and the spread of knowledge
... to give spiritual insight to surroundings, and one's being.

Caring

Caring

The following is something to make us stop and think.

Take this quiz:

* Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
* Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
* Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
* Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
* Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies.
Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

* List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
* Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
* Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
* Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
* Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.
* Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

Easier?

The lesson?
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!"
We all want someone to care.

As Christians we are commanded to love one another and to care for the members of Christ's body just as we do for our own families.

We will not love and serve God until we know how much He cares for us. As members of His body we are to be His ambassadors on this earth and show the unbelievers how much He cares for them.

Think about it . . .

posting by: 'Ria

Real People...

Real People

What Does it Mean to be "Real" People?

It means a lot of things, and all of us can think of some of them.

Real people are people who are comfortable with their own truth. They love their own uniqueness. They do their own things, with no need to apologize for being what they are. Yet they are always becoming more than they are.

Real people stand just as tall as they ought to be, no more or no less, neither walking on tiptoe nor hanging their heads. They ask only to be taken for exactly what they are. Nor do they make other people feel that they are expected to be ten feet tall in a world where all are stunted by their own fears.

Real people have their daydreams, like all normal strivers. But they don't wallow in them. They accept their limitations and are content with achievement goals. They pick their goals with some advertence to the talent at hand. Escapism is a moderate diversion in their way of life. Flight from effort or from involvement with others is not a routine survival tactic for real people.

Real people are hurtable. At least a little. They care enough for other people's love to feel the hurt of being ignored, misunderstood or rejected. And their own experience of hurt makes them sensitive to other people's pain.

Real people aren't hard to talk to. They invite communicativeness because somehow or other, they make everybody feel their kinship with the human heart. Wherever you are, in loneliness, bitterness, shyness, or fright, they have a way of making you feel they have been there ahead of you. Consequently, they care.

Real people are like a pair of protective hands over the shoulders of a child. They are quick with laughter; they are not ashamed of tears; they are comfortable to be with because they let you know who they are.
-anon-