"Fall seven times, get up eight. "
                   -- Japanese Proverb 

 Japanese proverb

"Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity."
     -                                                                        --Michael Jackson- Michael Johnson

   I need to remember to be bold. If I'm going to make an error, I'll make it a whopper.
   It takes just about as much apologizing to straighten out a big mistake as it does to take care of a sniveling little thing that might upset some mouthy spectator.

I choose to live my life looking through the windshield, not through the rear view mirror.

After the chess game ends,
 the king and the pawn go 
 into the same box.
                  Italian Proverb

You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; in just the same way, you learn to love by loving."
                                                                        – St. Francis de Sales,
                                                                           a patron saint of writers.

About St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622), known as the Gentle Saint, was bishop of Geneva. His motto was, "He who preaches with love preaches effectively," and his religious texts, including Introduction to the Devout Life, have resonated with many non-Catholics. Pope Pius IX proclaimed him a patron saint of writers. Some consider him a patron saint of the deaf; he invented a form of sign language to teach a young deaf man how to communicate

 

"Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way."
                                                                           – Booker T. Washington

About Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington, the influential American educator, was the first African-American to be invited to the White House; he also had tea with Queen Victoria. He was born in slavery in Virginia in 1856. After emancipation, he worked in the salt mines. When he learned of a school that would accept former slaves, he walked much of the 400 miles to get there. He became an outspoken advocate of education and hard work for African-Americans and founded Tuskegee University. He died in 1915.

     I am as rich as I think I am!
I can never earn more in the outside
world than I can earn in my own mind.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."
                                                                  – Sir Winston Churchill

About Sir Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill was an extraordinary British prime minister; he laid the groundwork for welfare in England, helped set the boundaries in the Middle East, became a symbol of the resistance against the Nazis in Europe, and was a central force in the Allied victory in World War II. He was born in 1874 near Oxford. He was known for his courage, his stubbornness, and his powerful personality. He was also an accomplished painter and writer. He died in 1965.

"Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told:

'I'm with you kid. Let's go.'"
                                                                 – Maya Angelou

About Maya Angelou

American poet and author Maya Angelou is best known for her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She was born in St. Louis in 1928 and grew up in rural Arkansas. Due to her activism, Martin Luther King asked her to take a leadership position in his organization. In 1993, at President Clinton's request, she wrote and performed a poem at his inauguration. She has also directed films and appeared on television. She teaches at Wake Forest University.

                       ALL MY PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED

 

   If I've asked for something in prayer, I must prepare myself to receive the answer. By opening my mind and heart to whatever the answer may be, I remain receptive to spiritual wisdom. I also must be open to any manner that the answer will come to me.
   It may come through a conversation with a friend, an line in a story or even from the lyrics of a song. I may see a sunrise or overhear a thoughtful conversation. When I feel a deep resonance and peace within I know it is the message for me.

 

If you indeed cry out for insight, and raise your voice for understanding; ... then you will ... find the knowledge of God.--Proverbs 2:3, 5

THIS HAS PROVEN TO BE TRUE FOR ME, SUCH AS DURING THE LIFE - AND - DEATH MEDICAL JOIRNEY I TRAVELED FROM 2001 to 2008:

"One day in retrospect the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful."
                                                                           Sigmund Freud

"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything"

                                                                               Mark Twain

    THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST DIFFICULT SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLE FOR ME TO FOLLOW:
                        Love your enemies
         and pray for those who persecute you.

                               -Matthew 5:44

"The gain in self-confidence of having accomplished a tiresome labour is immense."
                                                                                        – Arnold Bennett

 

Popular British novelist Arnold Bennett wrote more than 30 well-received novels, including The Old Wives Tale, the fictional life story of two sisters. He was born in 1867 in Hanley, in the heart of the six Staffordshire towns known as the Potteries. Although he left as an adult, settling in London and then Paris, he set much of his fiction in his birthplace, giving the novels a gritty realist texture. He died in 1931.

"Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to do what they want to do."
                                                                        – Kathleen Winsor

(Note: Kathleen Winsor is my kind of writer. Her novel Forever Amber was published during World War II and sold 100,000 copies the first week in spite of our country's preoccupation with defeating the enemies. Maybe that was because her story was considered "racy" - sexy stuff along the lines of D.H. Lawrence. Took courage to write without being limited by the usual standards of correctness, political or religious.)

"If no one ever took risks, Michelangelo would have painted on the Sistine floor."

                                                                                               – Neil Simon

"I just kept on doing what everyone starts out doing. The real question is, why did other people stop?" 
                                                                                 William Stafford 

About William Stafford

American poet William Stafford is best known for his first book of poems, Traveling Through the Dark, published when he was 48. Stafford was born in 1914 in Kansas and spent most of his life in Oregon. He was drafted into the army in 1941 but opted out as a registered pacifist. His memoir, Down in My Heart, details the forestry work he did during that period. As a poet, he captured the earthy poignant details of everyday life. Despite his late start, he published 57 volumes of poetry. He died in 1993.

                "Believe that you can do it, under any circumstances. Because if you believe you can, then you really will. That belief just keeps you searching for the answers, then pretty soon you get it." 
                                                                                                – Wally "Famous" Amos

About Wally "Famous" Amos

The name Wally "Famous" Amos is synonymous with chocolate chip cookies. He was born in Florida in 1936 and moved to New York at age 12 to live with his aunt, who baked him cookies. After serving in the Air Force and getting his GED, he went to work at the William Morris Agency, first as a secretary and then as the agency's first black talent agent, wooing clients by sending them homemade cookies. He opened his first store in Los Angeles in 1975. He lives in Hawaii and serves on the Board of Directors of the Read It LOUD! Foundation, an organization that promotes reading aloud to children.

"Take calculated risks. That is 
 quite different from being rash."
                                                    – George S. Patton

"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin" - Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia, on August 27, 1910, of Albanian descent. At the age of 12 she felt called by God to be a missionary. She became a nun at 21 after three years in a convent in Ireland, and went to teach at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta. She never saw her mother and sister again. She was affected her so deeply by the misery and poverty she glimpsed outside the convent walls that in 1948 she received permission to leave the convent school and dedicate herself to working among the penniless, destitute and dying in the slums of Calcutta. Although she had no funds, she started an open-air school for slum children, and her life's work began. In 1950 she started her own order "The Missionaries of Charity", which became an International Religious Family by a decree of Pope Paul VI in 1965.

The Society of Missionaries has spread all over the world with the principal task to love and care for those nobody else was prepared to look after. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

                   "I get up. I walk. I fall down.
                    Meanwhile, I keep dancing."
                                                                        –  Rabbi Hillel

 

"The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams." 
                                                                                  Oprah Winfrey

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
                                                                 - George Bernard Shaw

                       Yes-Yes or No-No

   I will confidently say "yes" to a richer, fuller experience of life. I will confidently say "no" to circumstances that do not lead to my highest good.

   With God's guidance, I am assured that whether my word is yes or no, I am taking the right action.

    "Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No.'"
                                                                      --Matthew 5:37

Touch a thistle timidly, and it pricks you; grasp it boldly, and its spines crumble.
                                                                       – Admiral William Halsey

About Admiral William Halsey

American Admiral William "Bull" Halsey Jr. won a Navy Cross during World War I and led the Third Fleet against Japan in World War II. He was born in New Jersey in 1882. After serving on battleships and torpedo craft in World War I, he went back to school at age 52 to become a naval aviator. General MacArthur called Halsey the greatest fighting admiral of World War II. His motto was, "Hit hard, hit fast, hit often." The Japanese signed their surrender on his flagship. He died in 1959.

   When that little voice in my head starts judging me (or others), I have four answers to the voice:

   1. Big Deal!
   2. Who Cares?
   3. So What?
   4. Why Not?

If none of these work, there is one more:
      IDM (it don't matter)

                                           The Four Agreements Companion Book
                                                                               by
                                                                   Don Miguel Ruix
                                      

                 Nothing Fancy
          About The Instructions
                    For My Life

      "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
                               and 
          give thanks in all circumstances."

 

"There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but second best."
                                                                                  – Doris Lessing

About Doris Lessing

Doris Lessing, the iconoclastic British author who writes both realistic literary novels and humanist science fiction, is best known for her book The Golden Notebook, an experimental novel about a blocked writer who jots down her thoughts in a set of notebooks. She was born in Iran in 1919 to British parents and grew up in Rhodesia. She went through a communist phase but became disenchanted after witnessing the reality in the Soviet Union. She was awarded a Noble Prize in Literature in 2007. She has been married twice and has three children

        I have met my enemy
                    and
                  it is me

                                          My Version Of Pogo Pogh's Wisdom

            http://aronbestsellers.com

   The President has supporters that he probably wishes would just go away.
   Such was the case of a lady in a recent Town Hall meeting. She chose to defend Mr. Obama on the question whether he was constitutionally qualified to be the President.
   "Natural born citizen?" she asked. "That's not right. Why should someone who was born by c-section be disqualified from being the President?"
   GOTTA LOVE 'EM, MR. PRESIDENT
                         

         FAILURE never stopped me.
            FEAR OF FAILURE did.

   "Let there be peace on Earth, 
                       and 
            let it begin with me." 


       http://aronbestsellers.com

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading."
                                                                             – Lao-Tzu

About Lao-Tzu

The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu is believed to have lived in the 4th century B.C. Little is known about him, but it is likely that he wrote the Tao te Ching, the foundation of Taoist philosophy, and engaged Confucius in debate, honing both men's belief systems. His name means either "old master" or the "old child," and one legend says he was born with white hair after spending 80 years in his mother's womb.

   Eighty years? Oh those Chinese are such kidders, right? I haven't met a mother yet who wanted her pregnancy to last more than nine months. Have you?
   Well, I have no standing to criticize any religious belief. Many of my spiritual beliefs are "unrealistic" and supernatural.

              http://aronbestsellers.com

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
                                                            – Thomas A. Edison

                    http://aronbestsellers.com

"Laughter is the closest distance between two people."
                                                                            – Victor Borge

About Victor Borge

Danish pianist Victor Borge was affectionately known as the Clown Prince of Denmark. Born as Børge Rosenbaum in 1909 to musician parents, he began playing piano at age three. After a stint as a classical pianist, he began combining music and jokes. His anti-Nazi jokes landed him on Hitler's enemies list. In 1942, he was named Best New Radio Performer by the American press. His Comedy in Music show on Broadway was the longest running one-man show in the 1950's. He died in 2000.

          http://aronbestsellers.com

              Let's Have A Happy Day!

"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come."--
                                     Song of Solomon 2:12

                        http://aronbestsellers.com

"Just don't give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong."
                                                          Ella Fitzgerald

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   If you think you are beaten, you are.
   If you think you dare not, you don't.
   If you like to win, but think you can't,
   It is almost certain you won't.

   If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
   For out of the world we find,
   Success begins with a person's will --
   It's all in the state of mind.

   If you think you are outclassed, you are.
   You've got to think high to rise.
   You've got to be sure of yourself before
   You can ever win a prize.

   Life's battles don't always go
   To the strongest or fastest man.
   But soon or late the one who wins
   Is the one WHO THINKS HE CAN.
                                Napoleon Hill
                                             Think and Grow Rich
   
         http://aronbestsellers.com

"A bad habit never disappears miraculously;

     it's an undo-it-yourself project."
                                                                      – Abigail Van Buren

      http://aronbestsellers.com

"All that is necessary to break the spell of inertia and frustration is this: Act as if it were impossible to fail."
                                                                             – Dorothea Brande

About Dorothea Brande

Dorothea Brande wrote the quintessential how-to-write book, Becoming a Writer, which was among the first to address every writer's core problem: How to sit down and let the words flow. Her book, published in 1934, remains in print today. She was born in 1893 in Chicago. She worked as an editor on the Chicago Tribune and The American Review and married the latter journal's owner. She also wrote Wake Up and Live, which was adapted into a movie in 1937. She died in 1948.

       http://aronbestsellers.com

  The Mystery Of Sailing Ships      

      One ship goes east
      One ship goes west
By the self same wind that blows,
       But it's the set of the sail
       And not the gale
 That determines where it goes.

             It's My Job To Set The Sail. 
           God Takes Care Of The Wind.

          http://aronbestsellers.com

"Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold."
                                                                                             – Leo Tolstoy

About Leo Tolstoy

Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, known as Leo Tolstoy, is considered one of the greatest novelists of all time; he wrote 25 books, including War and Peace and Anna Karenina. He was born on his family's estate in Russia. Although he fought in the Crimean War, he became a pacifist and political radical after a severe midlife crisis. His beliefs greatly influenced Mahatma Gandhi, who became a friend. He died in 1910.

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SUCCESS REQUIRES NO APOLOGIES.
      FAILURE PERMITS NO ALIBIS.


           http://aronbestsellers.com

"Give us this day our daily bread."

                                                   Matthew 6:11  

          http://aronbestsellers.com

"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself."
                                                                                                    – Anna Quindlen

             http://aronbestsellers.com

   Today is my 70th Birthday and I am in awe of what a great life God has given me. 
   Happy Birthday to everyone everywhere who has August 18 as their birthday. No matter what the number of years might be, it's a great life.
   My friends at Unity Village Missouri sent me the perfect spiritual message for this happy day. I accept it completely with the joy that it obviously conveys. Here it is -  

 

Today's Daily Word - Tuesday, August 18, 2009

                         Let Go, Let God

   I release, accept, and receive.

   At times I may need to repeat an affirmation several times before it takes hold in mind and heart. For instance, I may have been carrying a heavy burden for days or weeks, and finally I understand: I've been trying to do this all on my own. I stop struggling and affirm: I let go and let God. I repeat this affirmation until I release all to God.

   The One Power and Presence never lets me down. I release any worry or struggle and accept the comfort, inspiration, and abundance of God. I receive all that I need, and more.

   I release, accept, and receive. With ease and grace, the gifts of God flow to me and through me to accomplish good.

"The Noah rule: Predicting rain doesn't count; building arks does."
                                                                                           – Warren Buffett

        

"Dreams come true. Without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them."
                                                                      – John Updike

About John Updike

John Updike, the Pulitzer Prize–winning American novelist known for his careful craftsmanship and small-town settings, has published more than 60 books to date. He was born in 1932 in Pennsylvania. As a child he suffered from stammering and was encouraged by his mother to write. After college, he joined The New Yorker as a regular contributor. He is best known for his series of novels about a fictional alter ego, including Rabbit, Run and Rabbit at Rest. He lives in Massachusetts.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
                                                                     –Theodore Seuss Giesel (Dr. Seuss)

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     THE PATRON SAINT OF WRITERS

When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time."
–                                                                          St. Francis De Sales

About St. Francis De Sales

St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622), known as the Gentle Saint, was bishop of Geneva. His motto was, "He who preaches with love preaches effectively," and his religious texts, including Introduction to the Devout Life, have resonated with many non-Catholics. Pope Pius IX proclaimed him a patron saint of writers. Some consider him a patron saint of the deaf; he invented a form of sign language to teach a young deaf man how to communicate.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

This Was Helpful To Me: 
    http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment/

This website/video looks and sounds like simple high school "book learning," but it made clear to me some important things about my good life in the USA.

http://www.wimp.com/thegovernment/

   It reduces the emphasis on "Liberals" and "Conservatives." It challenges the myths spread by some TV commentators and debunks the promises made by the gang of "We'll Take Care Of You" politicians.
   In laying out the basics, it serves as a warning to me that our country's system might be quietly changing. Based on other histories of the world, this could become very troublesome.
   I appreciate my friend who sent this to me. It awoke me from my unconcerned, day-to-day existence. I now remember that I have a duty to become more active in my community affairs.

             http://aronbestsellers.com

PEACE BE WITH YOU

              It Is Too Great Of A Day
      To Have Only One Good Thought.
                     Thought #2
                            For
            Tuesday, August 4, 2009:

"I have no right to say or do anything that diminishes a man in his own eyes. What matters is not what I think of him, but what he thinks of himself. Hurting a man in his dignity is a crime."
                      Antoine de Saint-Exupery as quoted in
                            How to Win Friends & Influence People, 
                                           by Dale Carnegie, p 226


      

               Failure seldom stops me.

              What frequently stops me

                   is the fear of failure.
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             Another version of "One Day At A Time"

"Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more."
                                                     – Louis L'Amour, the famous writer
                                                                            of pulp westerns

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      "Who looks outside, dreams.
        Who looks inside, awakens."
                                        Carl Jung
        "Dream big dreams,
          then put on your overalls."
                                         Trigger Bill

                  http://aronbestsellers.com

                   Upon Awakening 
               My First Thought Was ...
                        GO FOR IT!

Then I read:
"You miss 100% of the shots you never take."
                                                                                         – Wayne Gretsky

     I have the feeling this will be a fantastic Friday!

                      http://aronbestsellers.com

                                         FISHING

"Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish."
                                                                              – Ovid
                                                               The Roman Poet  

   Years ago I was fly casting for trout in a high mountain lake. I had waded out from the shore to get a better chance to catch something. As I made my backcast in preparation to fling the fly way out there, I felt my line pull up tight.
   Thinking I was snagged on a weed or limb, I pulled hard but to no avail. Then the snag began to move! A good sized trout had been cruising the shoreline and had grabbed the fly.
   I try to remember that experience, especially when I think I know what I'm doing in life.

             http://aronbestsellers.com

         My Philosophy About Writing
           (If someone earlier created this thought,
                        then I stole it with ESP)

         "Ideas for sale. Words are free."


                    http://aronbestsellers.com

                         Interesting Moral Question

   You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

2. An old friend who once saved your life.

3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.
 
   Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car? Think before you continue reading.
   This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application. You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first. Or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your
perfect mate again. What do you do?
   The candidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. He simply answered:
    'I would give the car keys to my old friend and ask him take the old lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.'

                   http://aronbestsellers.com

                   Gobbledygook
                       From The
                   Business World

"Information wants to be free, but it also wants to be expensive."
                                   -- Stewart Brand

     "Often wrong. Never in doubt."
                                    -- Marc Andreessen


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                 I CAN BE GREAT
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great.
                                                                                        -- Mark Twain


                 http://aronbestsellers.com

I feel good today and I know that

   "I AM A MIRACLE OF LIFE!" 


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The Six-Word Story

My Opinion:

  The greatest six-word story ever written --

      "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."
                                                                           Ernest Hemingway

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Political Question

If con is the opposite of pro,

is Congress the opposite of

progress?


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DO IT NOW

                        1440

The number of minutes in this day is
one thousand four hundred and forty.
At first that seems like a lot of time. I
certainly could not hold my breath or
jog that long.
Then I realize that 670 minutes have
already passed in this day and it's
only eleven-ten in the morning. Most
discomforting, I can't get the 670 back.
They are gone forever.
One way I can get the most out of this
day is to follow the slogan:
                   DO IT NOW
Whether it's write a new story, go for a
walk, take a nap, read a book, or reconcile
my checking account, if it is to be done,
                    DO IT NOW
This is one of the suggestions in Success
Through Positive Mental Attitude by Hill
and Stone.
I want my life to improve and I believe that
I'll be happier if I consider new ideas.
So here goes DO IT NOW. Gone is the old
thought - Round Tuit.
Let's see what happens next.
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Belief v. Snoops

June 23, 2009

                         Belief v. Snoops

During the last ten or so months, a modern day artisan named Victor has been helping (for free) the rebuilding of flood-damaged homes in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The local newspaper wrote this story about him:

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090620/NEWS/706209936/-1/FLOOD

Some who witnessed and benefited from his work have been deeply moved by the experience. They believe that he is a man totally surrendered to God, whose prayers are answered ... a man who himself may be an answer to many prayers.

As of today there have been twitters of doubt and skepticism about Victor. Much of the material world cannot let reports of such a spiritual experience stand. It must be discredited, sooner or later, right?

What comes to mind is the legend of the circular stairway in the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico. After about one hundred years, the skeptics had enough of all the miracle talk. Research was done and books were written debunking the entire matter.

Of course the nuns and other witnesses to the stairway's construction had been long dead. The skeptics had no one to challenge their intellect. Their persuasiveness even led the Internet investigator of rumors (Snoops) to label the mystery of the stairway as false.

Such has been the case even with the mystery of Jesus and the Bible's record of his life. Skeptics have long debunked the stories and laughed at the believers. The kindest critics gave Jesus no status greater than merely a good man or a teacher. His divinity, though the foundation of organized religion for two thousand years, could not be accepted.

In the year 2109 will there be convincing proof that Victor was a charlatan and a fraud? That he secretly pocketed millions while pretending to work for free? Is it far-fetched to anticipate that in one hundred years, the 2008 Cedar Rapids flood will be considered just an exaggerated report? Will Victor be replaced in history by Barrack Obama, the president of the United States?

Will the world continue to see a conflict between belief and Snoops?

I pray that the witnesses to Victor's activities in Cedar Rapids get off the merry-go-round of life long enough to write books about this event. Their writings may not carry the weight of the Bible or stop the skeptics. However, the books will make their late-day efforts much more difficult in 2109.

They might even inspire future generations to live a useful and totally surrendered life.

 

Thoughts For Father's Day 2009

   When I turned 21 I had just graduated from college. I went to my father and asked him what I needed to do to be successful in life. I expected his answer to be like how to make money or how to marry the right woman, etc.
   However Dad told me, "All you have to do is to trust God." That seemed pretty lame. I knew that there had to be more to it than that.
   Twenty-nine years later I walked into a spiritual group to try to improve my life. THEY TOLD ME THE SAME THING!
   I had gone through hell with my hat off all those years and I had known the answer all the time! Fortunately Dad lived long enough for me to tell him "thanks."
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A Reminder For Me To Pray

   Ever so often I need to be reminded to pray. This usually occurs when I've been thinking too much.
   Last week someone popped this one-liner on me and I can't get it out of my mind.
          God's the answer,
       what's your question?
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CONGRATULATIONS TO SOME REAL PATRIOTS

       CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to my writer friend "Scarlatti" and to the citizens of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She and all of them are real Heroes - Real Patriots. 

One year ago this week (June 12 - June 19) a huge flood hit their city. TEN SQUARE MILES were inundated. Thousands lost their homes and businesses.

Scarlatti was washed out of her historic family home; watched its walls collapse inward under the water pressure. 

One day she was living an active, productive life. Two days later she was removing her precious belongings by canoe.

She saved small animals and pets and united with her neighbors in life-saving, sanity-saving measures. She began living in her car, in an empty office, in someone's spare bedroom, and finally in a tin-can of a trailer with vermin and bad water.

Immediately after the initial shock wore off, the rebuilding began.The total task was huge, but the federal government was nearly invisible. It was busy bailing out greedy people living in safe and dry parts of our country.

Local church members and other citizen volunteers contributed free rehabilitation of the homes, including Scarlatti's. Not only did they rebuild her family home for free, they helped inspire her and the others to become overcomers of this natural catastrophe.

One year to the date of the flood, Scarlatti moved back into her refurbished home.

But what about the economic impact? Was there a bailout in Cedar Rapids? Maybe so, but the real recovery was self-directed.

Scarlatti never quit her parttime job as a realtor (Deborah Lebeda.) She and others approached their work with a purpose of helping the flooded homeless. Their income was down, of course, but they remained gainfully employed. They were useful, helpful.

Scarlatti and the citizens of Cedar Rapids, Iowa are real heroes and definitely are patriots.

They probably do not want to be recognized as such. Certainly the mainstream news media doesn't care about them. However, for every one of them, ten of us have been touched and inspired. Our entire country, not just Cedar Rapids, is a better place because of them

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

HOW I'VE BEEN CHANGED

"To change one's life:
              1. Start immediately. 
              2. Do it flamboyantly.
              3. No exceptions."
                              – William James

 

American psychologist and philosopher William James, brother to author Henry James, wrote voluminously during his life, exploring a range of issues from a theory of emotion to a philosophy of history. He was born in New York in 1842 and wanted to be an artist, but his father disapproved. He obtained a medical degree, but felt unsatisfied  He then began his more fulfilling second career. His thoughts helped inspire and support several American movements including Alcoholics Anonymous. He died in 1910.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

June 8, 2009 NOTICE

NOTICE -- This Blog will be shut down temporarily for re-evaluation of the legal status of the messages that have been posted. Website lawyer has advised that violations have occured in the nature of the entries without express reference to or permission from the original author.
   Since T.S. Eliot is dead there will be a delay in complying with the legal advice.
_______________________________________________________

June 8, 2009

 

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
                                                                                                     – T.S. Eliot

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

SOMEBODY SPECIAL

Somebody Special As A Role Model For Me:

 

                         Linus Pauling

American chemist Linus Pauling is the only person ever awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes. He was born in Portland in 1901. He won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his breakthrough work on hemoglobins and proteins. He also originated the theory that DNA was formed in a double helix. He became a peace activist after studying fallout from nuclear bombs. His influence and work in concert with other scientists led to a test ban treaty and his second Nobel Prize, for Peace, in 1963. He died in 1994.

What I Can Change

   I have accepted the notion that I can change myself regardless of my genetic analysis or environmental history. When I Let Go and Let God in these matters, I have no limits on my potential. With God, all things are possible.
   On the other hand I must never over-estimate my ability to change others. That too is a Let Go and Let God matter.
   However, as I change me and my awareness, others seem to change also. I wonder whether they always were different from what I thought they were. Probably so.


With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com

IS IT LEGAL OR ILLEGAL?

   History proves absolutely that everything Hitler did was entirely legal.
   History also shows that everything George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and all the early Americans -- everything that those guys did was illegal.
   What a cop-out the legal issue is for not following our own intuition and our own standards.
   By the way, this is not my great intellectual prowess bursting forth. No way. A guy named Martin Luther King wrote this while in jail.
   Go figure.

With Respect & Gratitude,
                Tom
       http://aronbestsellers.com