Inspiration thread

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Bernard

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This thread is for posting stories, anecdotes, images, etc. that you find inspirational when your down...
 
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"I'm not dead yet!"
"I think I'll go for a walk."
"I ... feel ... happyyyyyyyyyy!"
 
THE BOOK: The Vortex derives it's picture of the whole Universe on the principle of extrapolated matter analysis. To explain, since every piece of matter in the Universe is in someway effected by every other piece of matter in the Universe, it is in theory possible to extrapolate the whole of creation, every Galaxy, every sun, every planet, their orbits, their composition, and their economic and social history from, say, one small piece of fairy cake. The man who invented the Total Perspective Vortex did so basically in order to annoy his wife. Trin Tragula, for that was his name, was a dreamer. A speculative thinker or, as his wife would have it, an idiot. And she would nag him incessantly about the utterly inordinate amount of time he would spend staring out into space or mulling over the mechanics of safety pins or doing spectrographic analysis of pieces of fairy cake. 'Have some sense of proportion' she would say, thirty-eight times a day. And so he built the Total Perspective Vortex, just to show her. And in one end he plugged the whole of reality as extrapolated from a fairy cake, and in the other end he plugged his wife, so that when he turned it on, she saw in one instant the whole infinity of creation, and herself in relation to it. To Trin Tragula's horror, the shock annihilated her brain. But, to his satisfaction, he realised he had conclusively proved that if life is going to exist in a Universe this size, the one thing it cannot afford to have a sense of proportion. And it is into this Vortex that Zaphod Beeblebrox has been put, and from which, a few seconds later, he emerges.

<We hear a hum and a click.>

ZAPHOD: Hi.

GARGRAVARR: Beeblebrox! You're...

ZAPHOD: Fine, fine, fine. Could I have a drink please?

GARGRAVARR: You've been in the Vortex?

ZAPHOD: You saw me, kid.

GARGRAVARR: You saw the whole infinity of creation?

ZAPHOD: The lot, baby, it's a real neat place, you know...

GARGRAVARR: You saw yourself in relation to it all?

ZAPHOD: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

GARGRAVARR: And what did you experience?

ZAPHOD: It just told me what I knew all the time. I'm a really great guy! Didn't I tell you, baby? I am Zaphod Beeblebrox!

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (transcript from BBC radio series)
 
I think the topic is an interesting one but as opposed to trying to be inspirational I would just rather share some personal precepts by which I live my life and at the same time have successfully functioned as a support person and health care advocate, amongst the many hats I’ve worn through the years, and managed the many challenges of my spouse’s potentially lethal illness reasonably well.

The first and most important of these precepts is “Persistence.”

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb...” - Calvin Coolidge

“Happiness isn’t what you have…
It’s the ability to enjoy
What you have!”
– Author unknown

“What we have done for
ourselves alone dies with us;
what we have done for
others and the world remains
and is immortal”
– Albert Pike

“This is my simple religion. There is no
need for temples; no need for
complicated philosophy. Our own brain,
our own heart is our temple; the
philosophy is kindness.”
– Dalai Lama

Warmly,
Herb
 
The Bene Gesserit Littainy against Fear

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.
 
This is a chant from the tape I have:

Libana: song unknown origins
I will be gentle with myself
I will love myself
I am the child of the universe
being born each moment.

Libana
Hopi Indian
Now I walk in Beauty
Beauty is before me
Beauty is behind me
Beauty is below me
 
Stress Management

This short and amusing illustration of how to manage
stress really hit home for us. There's nothing like a
good story to help us get the point, so check out the
Glass of Water theory of stress management here:
SIMPLE SOLUTION:
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an
audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How
heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 ounces to 20 ounces.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't
matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If
I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I
hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right
arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an
ambulance.

"In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I
hold it, the heavier it becomes." He continued, "And
that's the way it is with stress management. If we
carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as
the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be
able to carry on.

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down
for a while and rest before holding it again. When
we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of
work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up
tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let
them down for a moment if you can.

"Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life
is short. Enjoy it!"


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Inspirational Messages

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A Wonderful Lesson
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It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past, and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,' Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read.

Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope.

Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside. "Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover.

Inside he found these words engraved:

"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most was...my time"

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days.

"Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.

"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away,"


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Think about this. You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

1. At least 2 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.

2. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

3. A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't like you.

4. Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

5. You mean the world to someone.

6. If not for you, someone may not be living.

7. You are special and unique.

8. When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.

9. When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.

10. When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.

11. Someone that you don't even know exists loves you.

12. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

13 . Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy.

14. If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

Send this letter to all the people you care about, if you do so, you will certainly brighten someone's day, and might change their perspective on life ... for the better.

To everyone who reads this ...
"Thanks for your time ."


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Inspirational message to moms of special needs children

The Woman in the Mirror......
By Cheryl Veenstra
February 2001

I saw an unfamiliar face in the mirror today. She caught my eye as I rushed to start the day. I hardly recognized this woman. What had changed in her eyes? She was no longer young, naive and viewing the world through rose-tinted glasses. What had caused the worry lines and thoughtful brow? How could she look so fragile and weary, yet also determined and strong? Around some corner on the road of life.......she had been shaken to the core of her very being.

There was a time when only tears and fears were reflected in those eyes. A doctor's unexpected words, the future suddenly uncertain......gray, shadowy images of the vague and scary concept of her child coming into the world as "disabled". An incredible journey began that caught her by surprise and would take her places she never thought she would go. The journey had been long at times and she had shed tears of pain and tears of joy. She'd had hopes and dreams dashed in the blink of an eye. She'd asked the question WHY? She'd had friends fail her and not know what to say or how to help. She'd seen her child suffer. She'd cried silent tears into her pillow at night. Tears of exhaustion and fear. Tears of helplessness and longing. Tears of thankfulness and relief. Tears that are choked back during the day, but are unleashed like floodwaters in the safety of the night to wash away any walls being built up to protect her heart. Nights of worry blurring into days of endless responsibility. But then slowly, but surely, her broken heart begins to heal and mend.

The same pity she had once felt as she watched a mother hold her 'special child' close was now looking back at her in the eyes of strangers. But a smile tugs at her lips as she suddenly realizes that now she knew the secret! The hard-fought, carefully guarded secret that was slowly revealed in the depths of her heart.....but only after the tears and anguish of the first days and weeks of this new life. The illusive truth that mothers of special children discover as they take their first faltering steps down this new path........It was okay. She and her child could survive, even thrive! It was not as grueling and unforgiving a road as she had imagined. The fog, confusion, despair and fear were being slowly replaced by peace, acceptance, contentment, joy and gratitude. A mother's unique, unconditional love changes the equation that may look hopeless and tough from those outside, looking in. She will fight for, live for and die for her child. These special children transform those around them into different people. Stronger people. Dare I say it......deeper people. Long gone are the days when all they had to worry about was where to vacation or what color mini-van to buy. They now struggle with life and death medical issues. They must answer their child's questions about life's unfairness and pain. What remaining strength and energy they have is spent trying to make their 'family life' as normal and happy as possible.

A twinkle returns to the eyes of the woman in the mirror as she takes a deep breath and remembers what she's been fighting for. How very worthwhile this journey has been! This child is an incredible gift and it is a privilege to be given the task of raising her. Her child is beautiful and perfect in her eyes. She longs for her child to be seen by the world through this filter of love, acceptance and potential. Could others take the time to see past this little girl's slower steps to see the life and love reflected in her eyes? Would her child be able to see herself through the filter of contentment that the woman has journeyed so long to discover?

Hope was rekindled as the woman's eyes grew brighter. The future remained uncertain, but the incredible, protective love she felt for her child threw a warm blanket over the cold, dark storm clouds that used to threaten her very soul. As she threw open the doors of her heart, she felt the warm sun on her face and she beheld a beautiful rainbow of intense beauty and unmistakable peace. Hope still comforts this woman who cries in the middle of the night. Love gets her through each day. Faith takes her hand and leads her around each corner and through each deep, dark valley. Peace soothes her heart as she relinquishes control of their destiny to One wiser and all knowing. Joy brings laughter and smiles to those tired eyes once again. Each day is recognized for the gift it is.

I gave that woman a smile as I left her at the mirror today. I'll see her again soon and I'm curious to see how she will continue to change and grow. She's not the same young, carefree woman she used to be, but that is okay. I like who she is becoming and I feel comfortable in her life. The sun is shining, the day is brand new, my child is humming and God is so good!

Mom of an 8-year old boy with LGS syndrome, succesfully on the ketogenic diet
 
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Books by Louise L. Hay You can heal yourself. I love the meditations of the universe. I got it after I came out of my coma. And Empowering Women by the same author. Loving yourself. And my Wellness meditation cd . Hey Bernard, do you have a video for Singing in the Rain? I love that one.
 
Oh my goodness... Still dancing, I was watching the first video of Louise Hay's, today with Rebecca.
I am going to have to look up Empowering Women.
Who is the Wellness meditation CD by?
 
BIRDBOMB

You made me cry, but in a good way, I needed some inspiration.
 
BIRDBOMB

You made me cry, but in a good way, I needed some inspiration.


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I am glad to see someone enjoy these inspitations. I know I do.

We all need a boost from time to time.


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