Sep 30, 2013

Daily Quote

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined."
-Henry David Thoreau
Follow your dreams. They guide your life. Every great thing came from an idea, which is another form of dreaming. So let your dreams loose and then follow them. They will take you into a world of creativity and imagination. Your dreams are so amazing that with a little bit of action, they can become reality. So follow those dreams and live your dream life! Live the life that you are imagining. But remember- to make dreams a reality, all it takes is a little bit of hard work and a lot of confidence!

Sep 29, 2013

Daily Quote

"Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either."
-Albert Einstein
Always tell the truth. If you don't tell the truth for the smaller things, no one will believe you when you actually do tell the truth. Especially for bigger things. I am going to share a story with you- anonymously, because I am not sure how the person would feel about me sharing this. But I am sharing this for the purposes of teaching a lesson. A very good lesson, too.
This story took place years and years ago, before I was even born. This must have happened 20 or 30 years ago. So the story goes, the mother of this one child had set up to have her child stay with a friend while she, a Girl Scout troop leader, went on the Girl Scout field trip. The child wasn't very happy about this because the child thought that the friend's house smelled funny. So at school that day, the child told the friend that he wouldn't be staying with him, and that he should tell his mom. Later that day, the child took the school bus home. When his mother saw him, she was mad. She asked him why he wasn't at his friend's house, and he told her that he had told the friend to tell his mom that he wasn't going. So the mom had no choice but to take the child with her on the Girl Scout field trip. That afternoon when they returned home, there were police outside of his house. The friend's mother had called the police because the child never came to their home. The friend had not told his mother that the child was not coming. So the child's mother got furious and when the child insisted that he really had told the friend to tell his mom, the child's mom accused him of lying. No matter what he argued, he was accused of lying.
Later on, the child realized that all of his frequent lies had caused his parents to not trust him. So this time, when he really was telling the truth, his parents didn't believe him. 

So be careful of what you say and do. I myself have learned and taught myself to not lie anymore. It is just so much easier too, not having to carry all of that heavy lying weight on your shoulders. So I hope that the moral of this story will inspire you. I encourage all of you to listen to the story and build up positive truthful reputation so if something like this does happen to you, you will not be accused of lying when it really matters.

Sep 28, 2013

Quote of the day

"Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose."
-Gertrude Stein
This quote has a few too many 'is a rose' bits for my liking, but the point is even though roses have thorns, they are still roses. Everything and everyone has flaws and imperfections, but that doesn't make them any less beautiful. You can be flawed by the way you dress, look, walk, talk, eat, or basically anything mean people could think up. Most of the time, that is just those other people being jealous and rude. But all of that still doesn't change your inner beauty. As the quote states, a rose is a rose (is a rose is a rose).

Sep 27, 2013

Quote of the day

"There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."
-Jane Austen
This quote is more of a joke on my family then it is a real inspirational quote. See, my family, including myself, loves to stay at home. Except for my mom, who always tries to get us to go out to dinner or to activities. But we just like to stay home! So to get us out, every Saturday night, we go out to dinner. But I don't understand who wouldn't like simply staying at home for real comfort?

Sep 26, 2013

Daily Quote

"We do not judge the people we love."
-Jean-Paul Sartre
Today, my mom was reading to my family out of a daily inspiration book. I then found this quote and I am now posting it because it has a similar idea to what my mom said. So the passage she read to us was this:
Pour all of your energy into trusting Me. It is through trust that you stay connected to Me, aware of My Presence. Every step on your life-journey can be a step of faith. Baby steps of trust are simple for you; you can take them with almost unconscious ease. Giant steps are another matter altogether: leaping across chasms in semidarkness, scaling cliffs of uncertainty, trudging through the valley of the shadow of death. These feats require sheer concentration, as well as utter commitment to Me.
Each of My children is a unique blend of temperament, giftedness, and life experiences. Something that is a baby step for you may be a giant step for another person, and vice versa. Only I know the difficulty or ease of each segment of your journey. Beware of trying to impress others by acting as if your giant steps are only baby ones. Do not judge others who hesitate, in trembling fear, before an act that would be easy for you. If each of My children would seek to please Me above all else, fear of others' judgments would vanish, as would attempts to impress others. Focus your attention on the path just ahead of you and on the One who never leaves your side. 

I really liked this passage. I hate judgement. For a few of my elementary years, I was judged. For being short, slightly unsocial, a bit awkward and nerdy, that quiet kid who hid in the corner. At one point, there were people who jokingly said that if "the Green Flash" (whatever that is) came, they would sacrifice me. At another point, someone thought that I was a soulless ginger. Of course, things have changed dramatically now and I am accepted as a normal person in the 'society' of people at school. But for the time being, it didn't feel good. People didn't want to talk to me as much unless they had to. But now I realize something I wish I realized back in those days. I should have been trying to impress God. Maybe I did, as I have a thing for service work, maybe I didn't. But now I try to impress God with my actions and words and thoughts and prayers, and I encourage you to do so too. It can change your life. Just you see.

Inspirational Story

I found this story online and I knew I just had to share it with you!
-LifeOO

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on holiday.
And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every colour of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and, after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.


It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Sep 25, 2013

Small Dog Rescue

Hello everyone!
Sorry that this is so late, I have been extremely busy and haven't had time to put this up. But I am taking a minute now to do this before I completely forget and never do it. So for those of you who have been waiting, here you go!

On Saturday August 31, I went to Small Dog Rescue. 
At Small Dog Rescue, I took care of small dogs and showed them to people in hopes of them getting adopted. To read more about this, please see an earlier post here, but on this post, I will share some pictures that I took.

Note- the dogs that were adopted on the linked post are from that time. This time, somewhere around 4 dogs got adopted and a couple of people wanted to fill out forms. Two of the adopted dogs became therapy dogs, so congratulations to them!
Another note- I didn't take pictures of all of the dogs that were there, but this is most of them.













-LifeOO

Buckhead Christian Ministry

Hello everyone!
Sorry that this is so late, I have been extremely busy and haven't had time to put this up. But I am taking a minute now to do this before I completely forget and never do it. So for those of you who have been waiting, here you go!

On August 29, I visited Buckhead Christian Ministry.

The job I worked at BCM was to bag groceries based on different family sizes. The way this works is I took a cart and I went around the storage room (set up grocery store style- with food on shelves all around) and I used "shopping lists" which were lists of what to collect for different family sizes. Then I went around and collected the food, then I bagged it and put it on the shelf!
Here are some more pictures from BCM.
 


-LifeOO


Daily Quote

"If I am what I have and if I lose what I have who then am I?"
-Erich Fromm
Unfortunately, in this world people are judged for what they have not who they are. If you have a ton of stuff and live in a mansion, then people might see you as the greedy spoiled rich person. But if you live in a humble home with few belongings, then people may see you as poor. But this has nothing to do with who you are- no matter what you have, we are all equal. We are special works of God, and in his eyes, we are all wealthy. With love from him. He will never stop loving you. No matter what he does, he will never love you less. God created you, and God doesn't make junk. 
But what you have has little to no relation to who you are. Because if you lost everything, would that really change who you truthfully are inside? No. You would still be the same, just with less physical 'things.' Just know that no matter what, you are always loved. And you are not what you have, but you are who you are. Be true to yourself and let your light shine!

Sep 24, 2013

Quote of the day

"A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone."
-Billy Graham
Your parents and family are the people you are around the most. They are the people that train you. Most likely, if you do something at home around your parents, you do it around others too. So if a parent allows their child to be disrespectful, then the child will never learn fully to be respectful. So the child will never have true and full respect for anything, because that is not what they grew up learning. And respect is incredibly important, doesn't everyone love to be respected? So respect others, and learn to respect.

Sep 23, 2013

Quote of the day

To respect others, you must prioritize them over you. Be humble, and make your priorities the least and others' priorities of greater importance. If you are too proud and not humble enough, you really won't be respecting others as much as you may think you are. You need to fully put others before yourself. Do this, and others will respect you as well. So be humble, and respect will flow in all directions. From you to them, from them to the world.

Sep 22, 2013

Daily Quote

"The day will happen whether or not you get up."
-John Ciardi
The world doesn't revolve around you. If you don't get up in the morning, the day will still go on. Life will still happen. It won't freeze until you get up. So just know that the world doesn't revolve around you. Everyone is not always going to schedule everything based on when you are available. People aren't always going to be talking about you and only you. When people compliment other people, just know that it isn't an insult to you. Just let life revolve around everyone. And just remember that even if you don't get up, life will go on.

Sep 21, 2013

Daily Quote

There is no way to be able to tell what your limits are if you don't push them. For example, in a race, if you don't run your hardest you will never know how hard you can run. Sometimes, you will be surprised. So push your limits and see what happens. You may discover that your limits are not exactly what you thought they would be! You can do better than you ever imagined- just put your skills to the test and see what you can do!

Sep 20, 2013

Quote of the day

"Don't sweat the small stuff. It's all small stuff."
-Richard Carlson
Don't be focused on the small things that have happened. Everything is a small little thing that has happened, and it will all pass by. Don't live in the past and live in the small things, they just aren't worth while. Forgive and forget. Let it go, shake it off. It will all turn out ok. Just don't make a huge fuss over the tiniest details. Don't worry, because every little thing will turn out all right.

Sep 19, 2013

Quote of the day

"You reach a point where you don't work for money."
-Walt Disney
At one point in your career, you will be working for the money. To support yourself and your family. But at one point, when you have enough money, you will eventually be not working for money as much as you are working because you love what you do. You should always love what you do. Do what you love, you will be the happiest, and you will preform the best. Which also means, during your work for money stage, you will earn more money. But once you aren't working just for the money, then you really need to love what you do. So find your passion and explore it!

Sep 18, 2013

Daily Quote

Answers don't matter as much as the question asked. The question itself sparks thought and makes you imagine all of the possibilities. Hearing the answer doesn't have as much of an effect. But when the question is asked to you, you get a much better affect. You get the spark of imagination that will make your mind think out all of the possibilities, and you will get additional knowledge. Just from a simple question. So dig a little deeper and think!

Sep 17, 2013

Daily Quote

Excellence is doing normal every day things very well. For example, excellence might be found in doing an ordinary run better then you did last time or something completely different like writing ordinary writing pieces, but with an extraordinary writing skill. Just doing ordinary things a little bit better can make them extraordinary.

Sep 16, 2013

Quote of the day

"There is only one rule for being a good talker - learn to listen."
-Christopher Morley
When you are speaking, just be sure to let everyone else have a chance to talk too. Sometimes people might have some really good ideas or thoughts, and if you don't let them talk, they might never get the chance to say what they want to say. Also, when you are learning to listen, you need to be completely open to taking advice and constructive criticism. As hard as it is to hear, you must learn to take it and use it to the best. For example, if someone told you that your speech had no expression or your presentation was dull, instead of throwing a fit and making a scene, just take that as advice for next time. Take it so that next time, you will speak or present with expression. Don't get upset. Instead, use the advice. You will go far.

Sep 15, 2013

Quote of the day

"Above all, you must fight conceit, envy, and every kind of ill-feeling in your heart."
-Abraham Cahan
Try to keep the positive things in your heart. The negative things in there will change your moods into the type of mood nobody wants to be around. They will lead you into bad actions that you will regret later, and they will lead you into some of the worst decisions you will ever make. So fight these evil ill-feelings in your heart, and fill your heart with happiness and joy. Fill your heart with all things good and then let your cup overflow onto and into the lives of others and the world.

Sep 14, 2013

Daily Quote

"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do."
-Henry Ford
If you want to be remembered as the person who was nice to everyone, well, nobody will remember you as that unless you actually do it. If you haven't already done that, then nobody will think of you as that until you actually do it. You really can't build a reputation on what you haven't done yet that you plan to do. So go ahead and do it while you can. Time is short, possibilities are endless. Use what you have to the best and live your life to the fullest.

Sep 13, 2013

Daily Quote

This is just another quote variation on the quote I did yesterday. This is just another way of putting it.
You can see yesterday's post here.
But basically, we are all different islands. Different plants, shapes, sizes, soils, locations. But we are all together on the same world in the same sea.

Sep 12, 2013

Quote of the day

"All flowers are beautiful in their own special way. Some are bigger, prettier, or more fragrant than others, but this does not mean to ignore the scentless, small, or damaged ones. They are all beautiful works of nature under the hands of God."
-Anonymous
Everyone has beauty within. Some show it more on the outside, but even the less socially desirable people are beautiful in their own way. Of course there are people that are have better looks or better abilities to be kind to others, but even the shy kid is beautiful in their own way. Everyone has their talents, everyone has their skills. Everyone is a child of God. Be kind to everyone, because everyone is different and special in their own way. 

Sep 11, 2013

Quote of the day

"If we all waited around for change to happen, we would all be sitting on the corner of the street."
-Anonymous
Without turning ideas to reality, we would all just be sitting on the corner of nowhere. There wouldn't even be a street, because no one would have had the idea to make one! No one would have a job because there are no employers or entrepreneurs, and no one would have a house because there wouldn't be architects. So get up! Put your ideas to the test and make a difference!

Sep 10, 2013

Daily Quote

"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
-Plato
Good people will do what is right, even if there are no rules. They feel guilt when they do wrong, and they go out of their way to fix it. They play by the rules when rules are given. And they definitely play by the laws. Bad people avoid the laws and find ways around them. That is all of the thieves and criminals and wrong doers of illegal actions. But most of the time, they all end up getting in trouble anyways. So just save the trip to the jail and do what is right. Besides, most laws are there to protect you and others around you.

Sep 9, 2013

Daily Quote

Not everybody speaks English. Or French, or German, or Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese, Chinese, Italian, etc. But everybody does understand one thing. One thing that is a universal sign. Something you can do no matter if you know the same language as another or not. A warm smile. This warm smile will be taken as kindness no matter where you are, and it will bring joy to the hearts of anyone you smile at. So just smile. It's good for you and everyone around you, whether you can speak to them or not.

Sep 8, 2013

Quote of the day

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
-Albert Einstein
Live your life so that not everything shocks you, but also live like everything is a wonderful miracle. So don't get overexcited at everything, but deeply appreciate what you do have.

Sep 7, 2013

Quote of the day

"Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear."
-Albert Camus
Respecting someone because you are afraid is terrible. If someone is abusing you, you should stand up for yourself. If it is your boss at work or a teacher at school, then I am not really sure what to tell you. But if it is someone that is bullying you (and yes, even adults can be bullied), then you need to stand up for yourself. Respecting them out of fear of what will happen if you don't won't ever get you anywhere. So stand up for yourself. Be the person you want to be and put an end to the reign of terror.

Sep 6, 2013

Daily Quote

"Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you."
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Always have integrity. Be caring, be fair. Be good in front of your children, and be good away from them. Be the example you would have wanted your parents to be to you, and be the person you want your child to look up to. Be all of these things, and then when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they will think of you.

Sep 5, 2013

Daily Quote

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
In times of trouble, turn to the beauty of the earth to cheer you up. Sometimes, you will just see it naturally. Other times, you may have to look. But you won't have to look hard, because it is everywhere. I am going to share a story with you about someone I know who was running cross country for her school's team. During practice this particular day, she was sick. She was on the end of a cold, and she had a bad cough. When she was running, she couldn't breathe that well. But as she was on the final stretch of the run, she saw a beautiful swallowtail butterfly flying just a few feet in front of her. It made her realize the nature around her, and she began to look around. The sun was coming through the trees in a beautiful way, and the nature around her was just gorgeous. The trees were so green, the butterfly so delicate and beautiful. Looking at all of this, she didn't have to focus as much on her strangled breathing, and she ran just a little bit faster. In cross country, running even seconds faster is important and very good. So this little look into her surroundings really helped distract from the pain she was in. Look around, and see what is around you. You just might be amazed. 

Sep 4, 2013

Quote of the day

Pessimistic people complain about everything and have a very negative mindset. They have a 'it will never ever get better' mindset. Optimistic people will think that it will change, and that everything will be ok. Realists adjust the sails to fit the situation. It is great to be optimistic, but sometimes you have to wake up and realize that you have to be flexible. Go with the flow, because otherwise you are pushing against it. So yes, be optimistic, but only have an optimistic mindset and attitude. Otherwise, be sure to be real. Life isn't going to always go your way, so just adjust your sails to the wind of the world.

Sep 3, 2013

Quote of the day

"Without labor nothing prospers."
-Sophocles
Think about it- without labor, nothing prospers. For example, if there were no labor, there would be no scientists to create the fertilizers and advanced farming things we have today to take to the farmers. Without labor, there would be no farmers to grow our food. There would be no truck drivers to take the food to the store, there would be no store. There would be no money in our pockets or cars to take us to the store to buy food. There would be no jobs, because there would be no bosses to employ people. There would be no engineers or builders to create our houses and appliances, there would be nothing. We wouldn't have food or water or shelter. We would be no where. We need labor to prosper. We need to work at things that we want. They don't just appear in front of us for us. Work for what you want, and you are already closer to getting it than you were when nothing was prospering.

Sep 2, 2013

Daily Quote

"The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away."
-Joy J. Golliver
Once you have found your gift, it is meaningless to just do nothing with it. If you leave it be, it will never become better. Just an example, if you have the gift of music or art, you need to practice at it and use it often to make sure it blossoms and grows and is put to good use. All gifts are given to you for a reason. They are meant to be shared with the world, not kept to yourself. Keeping it to yourself will never do anyone any good. Not even you. Give it away! Use that musical gift to put on a concert and make the people at a retirement home happy! Use that public speaking gift to speak to the world! Use your gift of anything to make someone else happy. Once you've found your gift, give it away.

Sep 1, 2013

Daily Quote

"Be weird. Be random. Be who you are. Because you never know who would love the person you hid."
-Unknown
Be yourself, even if it means being the weirdest most random person you know. You never know what people might think, but of course, people might love it. You never know! Maybe you might make a new friend just for being yourself! Don't be afraid to express yourself for who you are. Unleash the hidden you to see what the world thinks. But at the same time, don't worry about what the world thinks. The only thing that matters is what you think.