The serenity prayer…with a twist

God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it’s me.

~ Author Unknown

Something to think about…

The more we are in concert with God, the greater will be our pleasures in life.  Recognizing our partnership with our higher power makes every decision easier, facilitates the completion of every task, and removes all uncertainty about our value to this world, particularly to those persons around us.

Knowledge that we are never alone, that in every circumstance our best interests are being cared for, softens whatever blow we encounter.  The blows teach us; they are the lessons the inner self has requested, and let us never forget we have a ready tutor to see us through every assignment.

The more we rely on God to see us through the mundane activities as well as the troubling experiences, the greater will be our certainty that all is well, our lives are on course, and a plan is unfolding little by little that has our best interests at its center.

Source (modified):  Each Day a New Beginning | Hazelden Meditations

barnesandnoble.com/w/each-day-a-new-beginning-karen-casey/1101316704

Life is the sum of all your choices.

Life is the sum of all your choices.
~ Albert Camus

Number puzzle

Using every number between 1 and 9, fill in the spaces on this triangle so that the numbers on each side add up to 20.

via FB: Puzzles For You

Butterfly and a sunflower

via Sunflowers at last | Flickr – Photo Sharing!.

A turtle with a mohawk

Some weeds have grown on the head of this Mary River Turtle creating the illusion of a green crest.

via Tumblr

Best friends and acquaintances

The difference between best friends and acquaintances…isn’t this the truth? 

via Pinterest

You have to get started to be great

You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.
~ Les Brown

via Pinterest

Total trust in this little cub face

Leon pulling Fernando’s fur while playing

via Pinterest

Bloom where you are planted

This is a true picture of determination and perseverance!

 
via Pinterest

Time and pressure

God changes caterpillars into butterflies, sand into pearls, and coal into diamonds using time and pressure. He’s working on you, too.

~ Rick Warren

Something to think about…

Change is not easy, but it’s absolutely unavoidable.  Doors will close.  Barriers will surface.  Frustrations will mount.  Nothing stays the same forever, and it’s such folly to wish otherwise.  Growth accompanies positive change; determining to risk the outcome resuting from a changed behavior or attitude will enhance our self-perceptions.  We will have moved forward; in every instance, our lives will be influenced by making a change that only each of us can make.

We have all dreaded the changes we knew we had to make.  Perhaps even now we fear some impending changes.  Where might they take us?  It’s difficult accepting that the outcome is not ours to control.  Only the effort is ours.  The solace is that positive changes, which we know are right for us and other people in our lives, are never going to take us astray.  In fact, they are necessary for the smooth path just beyond this stumbling block.

When we are troubled by circumstances in our lives, a change is called for, a change that we must initiate.  When we reflect on our recent as well as distant past, we will remember that the changes we most dreaded again and again have positively influenced our lives in untold ways.

Source (modified):  Each Day a New Beginning | Hazelden Meditations

barnesandnoble.com/w/each-day-a-new-beginning-karen-casey/1101316704

Artistic koi

Cats soaking up some sunshine

Morning coffee prayer

via Pinterest

Corny kitty

via Pinterest

Your expression

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.
~ Janet Lane

10 Ways To Be Supportive

Relationships aren’t all fun and games. Life happens and one of you will be bound to lose a loved one, have a sick family member, etc. Being a good partner means standing by through good times and bad. The good times are easy to handle. Here are some tips on how to be supportive through tough times:

Listen. Let them know right away that you’re there for them if and when they want to talk. When that time comes, free yourself from distractions and really let them vent by listening and giving them your full attention.

Acknowledge the situation. People often feel awkward or they don’t know what to say in times of crisis. Don’t pretend that nothing happened. Acknowledge the situation, say that you’re sorry for what they’re going through, or even admit that you don’t quite know what to say. Any of these are better than saying nothing.

Offer distraction. When they’re ready you can be there to take them out for pizza, go to a movie or anything else to get their mind off of things.

Offer to help. Can you help make any arrangements? Do any errands? Bring over takeout? Show that you care by offering to lighten their load.

Help them remember the positives. When they get down about a tough situation you can be there to talk with them to remember good memories or find a silver lining.

Help with the little things. Without asking, take charge and pick up notes from classes they’ve missed, or anything else that will be helpful. Chances are they’ll forget all about those little details if they’re distracted by a crisis and they’ll be grateful that you’re looking out for them.

Treat them. Now is the time to go the extra mile to make them feel special and loved. Buy their favorite flower or bring them their favorite dessert, just because.

Give them space. If they need a bit of breathing room, give it to them and don’t take it personally. 

Treat them normally. They’ll need your support but the last thing they want is your pity or you treating them like a victim. Try to treat them the same way you always do.

Don’t make it about you. Tell them that you can only imagine what they’re going through. Or if you can relate, say so. But leave it at that. Don’t launch into stories about the time you experienced the same thing. This isn’t about you.

via neurolove.me

Bare feet in the grass

Hope it’s a bare-feet-in-the-grass, sunshine-on-your-shoulders kind of day.

via Pinterest

Ostrich family outing

via Tumblr

A pensive pooch

via Pinterest

The soul of a philosopher

A dog has the soul of a philosopher.

~ Plato

Sunset by Rick Sammons

via Tumblr

A quiet mind

Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.

~ Hans Margolius

Something to think about…

Perhaps it’s the human condition never to be satisfied and yet always to think, “If only…”  However, the more we look within for wholeness, the greater will be our acceptance of all things, at all times.

So frequently we hear that happiness is within.  But what does that mean when we may have just lost the job that supported us and our children?  Or when the car won’t start and funds are low?  Or when we are feeling really scared and don’t know whom to talk to or where to go?  “Happiness is within” is such a grand platitude at those times.

Nevertheless, our security in any situation is within, if we but know how to tap it.  It is within because that is where the strength we are blessed with resides, the strength given us from the power greater than ourselves.  “Going within” first takes a decision.  Next, it takes stillness, and then, patience.  But peace will come.

We will quit wanting when we have learned how to turn to our inner strength.  We will find serenity rather than suffering.

Source (modified):  Each Day a New Beginning | Hazelden Meditations

barnesandnoble.com/w/each-day-a-new-beginning-karen-casey/1101316704

A good life is a collection of happy moments

A good life is a collection of happy moments.
~ Denis Waitley

via Pinterest

Sorrow is too great to exist in small hearts

Sorrow is too great to exist in small hearts.
~ Kahlil Gibran

Krikey, what a metro!!

Funny Wildlife, funnywildlife: Krikey, what a metro!!.