Joy

"Tirelessly they flew on and on, and tirelessly she kept pace. She felt a fierce joy possessing her, that she could command these immortal presences. And she rejoiced in her blood and flesh, in the rough pine bark she felt next to her skin, in the beat of her heart and the life of all her senses, and in the hunger she was feeling now, and in the presence of her sweet-voiced bluethroat dæmon, and in the earth below her and the lives of every creature, plant and animal both; and she delighted in being of the same substance as them, and in knowing that when she died her flesh would nourish other lives as they had nourished her."

"You have to remember one life, one death–this one! To enter fully the day, the hour, the moment whether it appears as life or death, whether we catch it on the inbreath or outbreath, requires only a moment, this moment. And along with it all the mindfulness we can muster, and each stage of our ongoing birth, and the confident joy of our inherent luminosity. (24)"

"If you are a Buddhist, inspire yourself by thinking of the bodhisattva. If you are a Christian, think of the Christ, who came not to be served by others but to serve them in joy, in peace, and in generosity. For these things, these are not mere words, but acts, which go all the way, right up to their last breath. Even their death is a gift, and resurrection is born from this kind of death. (157)"

"And when the hourglass has run out, the hourglass of temporality, when the noise of secular life has grown silent and its restless or ineffectual activism has come to an end, when everything around you is still, as it is in eternity, then eternity asks you and every individual in these millions and millions about only one thing: whether you have lived in despair or not."

"Our lives are mere flashes of light in an infinitely empty universe. In 12 years of education the most important lesson I have learned is that what we see as “normal” living is truly a travesty of our potential. In a society so governed by superficiality, appearances, and petty economics, dreams are more real than anything anything in the “real world”. Refuse normalcy. Beauty is everywhere, love is endless, and joy bleeds from our everyday existence. Embrace it. I love all of you, all my friends, family, and community. I am ceaselessly grateful from the bottom of my heart for everyone. The only thing I can ask of you is to stay free of materialism. Remember that every day contains a universe of potential; exhaust it. Live and love so immensely that when death comes there is nothing left for him to take. Wealth is love, music, sports, learning, family and freedom. Above all, stay gold."

"A Second Childhood.”When all my days are ending And I have no song to sing,I think that I shall not be too old To stare at everything;As I stared once at a nursery door Or a tall tree and a swing. Wherein God’s ponderous mercy hangs On all my sins and me,Because He does not take away The terror from the tree And stones still shine along the road That are and cannot be. Men grow too old for love, my love,Men grow too old for wine,But I shall not grow too old to see Unearthly daylight shine,Changing my chamber’s dust to snow Till I doubt if it be mine. Behold, the crowning mercies melt,The first surprises stay;And in my dross is dropped a gift For which I dare not pray:That a man grow used to grief and joy But not to night and day. Men grow too old for love, my love,Men grow too old for lies;But I shall not grow too old to see Enormous night arise,A cloud that is larger than the world And a monster made of eyes. Nor am I worthy to unloose The latchet of my shoe;Or shake the dust from off my feet Or the staff that bears me through On ground that is too good to last,Too solid to be true. Men grow too old to woo, my love,Men grow too old to wed;But I shall not grow too old to see Hung crazily overhead Incredible rafters when I wake And I find that I am not dead. A thrill of thunder in my hair:Though blackening clouds be plain,Still I am stung and startled By the first drop of the rain:Romance and pride and passion pass And these are what remain. Strange crawling carpets of the grass,Wide windows of the sky;So in this perilous grace of God With all my sins go I:And things grow new though I grow old,Though I grow old and die."

"Once your soul is awakened, you never return to the sleepwalking state of mind. Some people become complacent in life. They are just going through the motions and not aware of truth. Seek the knowledge, wisdom, and the understandings that vivify your existence."

"God can take the ordinary and create the extraordinary. Our incredible God has the power to transform your simple life and give you the life of your dreams. Remarkable things happen in your life when you believe."

"We should always hope and expect to see a brand new day filled with hope, love and joy."

"You may have fallen down, but you can get back up again. You may have doors shut, but new doors will open for you. You may have been lied on, but the truth will come to the light. You may have been hurt, but the pain will pass. You are a survivor. You have a history of surviving."

"We commonly confuse love with the strong emotions most often associated with it, such as joy, attachment, lust, infatuation, pleasure, pain, fear, and hope, to name a few. But, love is not a feeling; love itself is an action. There are countless emotions and beliefs that can cause us to love. Love is the willing giving of self to another living being. Love is giving the life, time, energy, and resources that we would normally give or use for our self to someone else. Love is an action that enhances the well-being of another living being."

"Let love, joy, peace, and hope be the guiding lights of your life today, tomorrow, and forever."

"Let love, joy, hope and peace be the guiding lights during this holiday season."

"Let it shine, the light in you. Oh, and that's delighting me! Various colors shining through. Elated, it fills my soul with ecstasy."

"Building bridges is the best defence against ignorance."

"There's more to a person than flesh. Judge others by the sum of their soul and you'll see that beauty is a force of light that radiates from the inside out."

"Successes are those highlights of life we look back on with a smile. But it's the day to day grind of getting them that defines the laugh lines etched until the end of time. Enjoy each moment along the way"

"It’s the ‘everyday’ experiences we encounter along the journey to who we wanna be that will define who we are when we get there."

"There is no such thing as loving a child too much."

"God is my strength and my defense. When I am weak, he makes me strong. When I am broken, he makes me whole."