UPDATED: June 27, 2003
a small note from my mom, a great source of strength for me (I love you mama!):
don't worry
never hurry
we are only here
for a little while
so don't forget
to stop
and smell the flowers
In the muddled mess of this world, in the confusion and boredom and amazement, we ought to be able to spot something — an event, a person, a memory, an act, a turning of the soul, the flash of bright wings, the surprise of sweet compassion — somewhere we ought to pick out a glory to celebrate.
— Samuel H. Miller in The Dilemma of Modern Belief
To Practice This Thought: Identify something glorious and celebrate it!
Keep close to Nature's heart . . . and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit
clean.
-- John Muir quoted in "Leather Tramp Journal" by Richard Broderick
To Practice This Thought: Spend some quality time outdoors.
If only I'd known that one day my differentness would be an asset, my early life would have been much easier.
— Bette Midler quoted in Lit From Within by Victoria Moran
To Practice This Thought: Give yourself an award for being different. Write an acceptance speech for it.
In the school of life, difficult people are the faculty. They teach us our most important spiritual lessons, the lessons that we would be most unlikely to learn on our own.
— Mark I. Rosen in Thank You for Being Such a Pain
To Practice This Thought: Figure out what you can learn from the most difficult person in your life.
Taking good care of yourself is always the best way to take care of everything.
— Taizan Maezumi in Appreciate Your Life
To Practice This Thought: Be good to your body, mind, and soul.
Do not underestimate the power of treating yourself to what you yourself believe is important.
— Victoria Moran in Lit From Within
To Practice This Thought: Establish a self-care fund, money you then use for massages, bubble bath, CDs, a quiet retreat, whatever you need.
I've learned how to not be broken from life's unwanted things by watching a willow in the wild wind tossing and bending rather than pushing back against the storm. It's taught me that I can't always have everything go my way. Sometimes I need to bend a bit.
— Joyce Rupp in The Cosmic Dance
To Practice This Thought: Find a teacher in nature.
Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first time or last time. Then your time on Earth will be filled with joy.
— Betty Smith in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
To Practice This Thought: Take this good advice.
Liken yourself to a beautiful original part of creation — a true work of art. Then each day ask yourself how you are living: either in ways that show gratitude for this beauty or in ways that indicate how you are defacing it.
— Robert J. Wicks in Snow Falling on Snow
To Practice This Thought: Watch yourself. Are you showing gratitude for your beauty or defacing it?
Soul Boosters are from Spirituality and Health: Spiritual Practices for Human Being
The Blind Assassin, by Margaret Atwood
Empire Falls, by Richard Russo
Jewel, by Bret Lott
Here on Earth, by Alice Hoffman
Practical Magic, by Alice Hoffman
Breathing Lessons, by Anne Tyler
We Were the Mulvaneys, by Joyce Carol Oates
House of Sand and Fog, by Andre Dubus III
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd
The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende
Sites to Visit for Relaxation, Health, and Learning
Anxiety and Depression
Meditation Techniques
Stress Busters
Stress Management
All About Dreams
Healing Tools
Herbs for Health
Women's Issues
Spirituality and Health: Spiritual Practices for Human Being
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