May you find serenity and tranquility
in a world you may not always understand.
May the pain you have known
and the conflict you have experienced
give you the strength to walk through life
facing each new situation
with optimism and courage.
Always know that there are those
whose love and understanding
will always be there
even when you feel most alone.
May you discover enough goodness in others
to believe in a world of peace.
May a kind word, a reassuring touch,
a warm smile, be yours every day of your life,
and may you give these gifts as well as receive them.
Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending.
Teach love to those who know hate,
and let that love embrace you as you go into the world.
May the teaching of those you admire
become part of you,
so that you may call upon them.
Remember, those whose lives you have touched
and who have touched yours are always a part of you,
even if the encounters were less
than you would have wished.
May you not become too concerned
with material matters, but instead place
immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart.
Find time in each day to see the beauty
and love in the world around you.
Realize that each person has limitless abilities,
but each of us is different in our own way.
What you may feel you lack in one regard
may be more than compensated for in another.
What you feel you lack in the present
may become one of your strengths in the future.
May you see your future
as one filled with promise and possibility.
Learn to view everything
as a worthwhile experience.
May you find enough inner strength
to determine your own worth by yourself,
and not be dependent on another's judgements
of your accomplishments.
May you always feel loved.
author unknown
Love is
Love is
Love is
Love is
Love is
Love is
Love is
Love is
Love is the source of life,
and you are my life.
author unknown
being happy for the other person
when they are happy
being sad for the other person when they are sad
being together in good times
and being together in bad times
Love is the source of strength
being honest with yourself at all times
being honest with the other person at all times
telling, listening, respecting the truth
and never pretending
Love is the source of reality
an understanding that is so complete that
you feel as if you are a part of the other person
accepting the other person just the way they are
and not trying to change them to be something else
Love is the source of unity
the freedom to pursue your own desires
while sharing your experiences with the other person
the growth of one individual alongside of
and together with the growth of another individual
Love is the source of success
the excitement of planning things together
the excitement of doing things together
Love is the source of the future
the fury of the storm
the calm of the rainbow
Love is the source of passion
giving and taking in a daily situation
being patient with each other's needs and desires
Love is the source of sharing
knowing that the other person
will always be with you regardless of what happens
missing the other person when they are away
but remaining near in heart at all times
Love is the source of security
I have learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.
I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.
I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
I've learned that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
I've learned that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you'd better know something.
I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do but to the best you can do.
I've learned that it's not what happens to people that's important. It's what they do about it.
I've learned that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I've learned that no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides.
I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I've learned that it's a lot easier to react than it is to think.
I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I've learned that you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I've learned that learning to forgive takes practice.
I've learned that there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it.
I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I've learned that my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing, and have the best time.
I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I've learned that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I've learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I've learned that you should never tell a child her dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if she believed it.
I've learned that your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren't related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren't just biological.
I've learned that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I've learned that is isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I've learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
I've learned that sometimes when my friends fight, I'm forced to choose sides even when I don't want to.
I've learned that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
I've learned that sometimes you have to put the individual ahead of their actions.
I've learned that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I've learned that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
I've learned that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I've learned that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.
I've learned that there are many ways of falling in love, and staying in love.
I've learned that no matter the consequences, those who are honest with themselves get farther in life.
I've learned that no matter how many friends you have, if you are their pillar you will feel lonely and lost at the times you need them most.
I've learned that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
I've learned that writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains.
I've learned that the paradigm we live in is not all that is offered to us.
I've learned that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I've learned that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon.
I've learned that although the word "love" can have many different meanings, it loses value when overly used.
I've learned that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe.
author unknown
They carry children,
They smile when they want to scream.
They fight for what they believe in.
They go without new shoes so their children
They cry when their children excel and cheer
They have sorrow at the loss of a family member,
Women come in all sizes, in all colors and shapes.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
The heart of a woman is what makes the world spin!
Women do more than just give birth.
Author Unknown
Women have strengths that amaze men.
they carry hardships,
they carry burdens
but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They stand up for injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
can have them.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a new marriage.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
yet they are strong when they think there is no
strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a
broken heart.
to show how much they care about you.
They bring joy and hope.
They give compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their
family and friends.
Women have a lot to say and
a lot to give.
for the teenager who is not doing dishes but is watching T.V.,
because that means she is at home and not on the streets.
For the taxes that I pay,
because it means that I am employed.
For the mess to clean after a party,
because it means that I have been surrounded by friends.
For the clothes that fit a little too snug,
because it means I have enough to eat.
For my shadow that watches me work,
because it means I am out in the sunshine.
For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing,
because it means I have a home.
For all the complaining I hear about the government,
because it means that we have freedom of speech.
For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot,
because it means I am capable of walking and that I have been blessed with transportation.
For my huge heating bill,
because it means I am warm.
For the lady behind me in church that sings off key,
because it means that I can hear.
For the pile of laundry and ironing,
because it means I have clothes to wear.
For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day,
because it means I have been capable of working hard.
For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours,
because it means that I am alive.
And finally.......
For too much e-mail,
because it means I have friends who are thinking of me. :-)
author unknown
If you could see your ancestors
All standing in a row,
Would you be proud of them?
Or don't you really know?
Strange discoveries are often made,
In climbing the family tree.
Sometimes one is found in line
Who shocks the progeny.
If you could see your ancestors
All standing in a row,
Perhaps there might be one or two
You wouldn't care to know.
Now turn the question right about
And take another view.
When you shall meet your ancestors
Will they be proud of you?
- Author Unknown
Dear Ancestor
Your tombstone stands among the rest;
Neglected and alone.
The name and date are chiseled out
On polished, marbled stone.
It reaches out to all who care
It is too late to mourn.
You did not know that I exist
You died and I was born.
Yet each of us are cells of you
In flesh, in blood, in bone.
Our blood contracts and beats a pulse
Entirely not our own.
Dear Ancestor, the place you filled
One hundred years ago
Spreads out among the ones you left
Who would have loved you so.
I wonder if you lived and loved,
I wonder if you knew
That someday I would find this spot,
And come to visit you.
Author Unknown
I climbed my family tree and found it was not worth the climb;
And so, I scampered down, convinced it was a waste of time.
Some branches of my tree, I found, were rotten to the core.
And, all the tree was full of sap and hung with nuts galore!
I used to brag of my kinfolk, before I made the climb,
but truth compels me not to tell of those not worth a dime.
And I beg friends who boast aloud of their ancestors great,
To climb their family tree and learn of those who weren't so straight.
I've learned what family trees are like, I've seen them growing 'round.
They're like a 'tater' vine because, the best are underground!
Author Unknown
'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even my spouse.
The dining room table with clutter was spread
with pedigree charts and with letters which said
"Too bad about the data for which you wrote
Sank in a storm on an ill-fated boat."
Stacks of old copies of wills and the such
were proof that my work had become much too much.
Our children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.
And I at my table was ready to drop
From work on my album with photos to crop.
Christmas was here, and of such was my lot
That presents and goodies and toys I'd forgot.
Had I not been so busy with grandparents' wills,
I'd not have forgotten to shop for such thrills.
While others had bought gifts that would bring Christmas cheer,
I'd spent my time researching those birthdates and years.
While I was thus musing about my sad plight,
A strange noise on the lawn gave me such a great fright.
Away to the window I flew in a flash,
Tore open the drapes and I yanked up the sash.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But an overstuffed sleight and eight small reindeer.
Up to the housetop the reindeer they flew,
With a sleigh full of toys, and 'ole Santa Claus, too.
And then in a twinkle, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of thirty-two hoofs.
The TV antenna was no match for their horns,
And look at our roof with hoof-prints adorned.
As I drew in my head, and bumped it on the sash,
Down the cold chimney fell Santa--KER-RASH!
"Dear" Santa had some for the roof in a wreck,
And tracked soot on the carpet (I could wring his short neck!).
Spotting my face, good old Santa could see
I had no Christmas spirit you'd have to agree.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work
And filled all the stockings (I felt like a jerk).
Here was Santa, who'd brought us such gladness and joy;
When I'd been too busy for even one toy.
He spied my research on the table all spread
"A genealogist!" He cried! (My face was all red!)
"Tonight I've met many like you," Santa grinned,
As he pulled from his sack a large book he had penned.
I gazed with amazement-the cover it read
"Genealogy Lines for Which You have Plead."
"I know what it's like as a genealogy bug,"
He said as he gave me a great Santa hug.
While the elves make the sleighful of toys I now carry,
I do some research in the North Pole Library."
"A special treat I am thus able to bring,
To genealogy folks who can't find a thing.
Now off you go to your bed for a rest,
I'll clean up the house from this genealogy mess."
As I climbed up the stairs full of gladness and glee,
I looked back at Santa who'd brought much to me.
While settling in bed, I heard Santa's clear whistle
To his team, which then rose like the down of a thistle.
And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sight,
"Family History is Fun! Merry Christmas! Goodnight!"
(Author unknown)
Dear Santa: Don't bring me new dishes,
I don't need a new kind of game.
Genealogists have peculiar wishes
For Christmas I just want a surname.
A new washing machine would be great,
But it's not the desire of my life.
I've just found an ancestor's birth date;
What I need now is the name of his wife.
My heart doesn't yearn for a ring
That would put a real diamond to shame.
What I want is a much cheaper thing;
Please give me Mary's last name.
To see my heart singing with joy,
Don't bring me a read leather suitcase,
Bring me a genealogist's toy;
a surname with dates and a place.
Genealogy is my Pastime. I shall not stray.
It maketh me to lie down and examine half-buried Tombstones
It leadeth me into still Courthouses. It restoreth my Ancestral Knowledge..
It leadeth me into the Paths of Census Records and Ships Passenger Lists
for my Surnames' sake.
Yes, though I wait through the Shadows of Research Libraries and Microfilm Readers,
I shall fear no Discouragement, for a Strong Urge is with me.
The curiosity and Motivation, they Comfort me.
It demandeth preparation of Storage Space for the Acquisition of Countless Documents.
It anointeth my Head with burning Midnight Oil, My Family Group Sheets runneth over.
Surely Birth, Marriage and Death dates shall follow me all the Days of my Life;
and I shall dwell in the House of a Family History Seeker Forever
Anonymous
Any comments would be appreciated.
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