The Light

Happy Wednesday

Self Confidence

If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started. -Marcus Tullius Cicero

Character

The full measure of a man is not to be found in the man himself, but in the colors and textures that come alive in others because of him.

-Albert Schweitzer

"You either do it completely and utterly, or you should stop doing
it."
-Bono (paraphrase)

Achievements

By E. R. Haas, CEO...

"I hope that my achievements in life shall be these --that I will have fought for what was right and fair, that I will have risked for that which mattered, and that I will have given help to those who were in need... and that I will have left the earth a better place for what I've done and who I've been."
~ C. Hoppe

Each year on my birthday I tape Today's Quote on my monitor where I will not only see it all day long, but really give it time to sink in.

Simply put, it asks you to think about your life, and your achievements, from a completely different perspective.

No question, there's a lot is going on in the the world.

What's happening in your world?

First, the big questions... What right are you fighting for?
What are you risking for something that matters to you?
To whom have you given help to those in need?
How will you leave the world a better place for what you've done?

Who are you now?
Who are you becoming?

I find it interesting—no, empowering—to ask these questions each year on my birthday.

It's a ritual I hope you will adopt. (If not on MY birthday, how about yours?!)

We all get caught up in the little stuff... a little too much... a little too often.

Rarely do we find the time to ask ourselves the big, life-changing question:
What do I want to accomplish while I am here...
how will I be remembered for who I've been?

Yes, the old cliche is true—this is the first day of the rest of your life. What do you want to achieve thisyear... accomplishments that may have eluded you in the past?

Faith in Humanity

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty."

-Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Thank you! As always your prayers were heard and answered!!!

Update on Matt:

Surgery went very well and the doctors removed the entire tumor!  Matt is resting well under heavy medication but everyone is relieved.  They are testing the tumor but given the type of tumor they believe it to be benign!

So, please do not halt the prayers just yet!!!  Keep them coming for Matt, his wife and six children - for a speedy recovery and putting all of this in the rearview mirror!!

Thank you All!

Stay Strong!

True Wealth

"The greatest wealth is to live content with little."

-Plato

Urgent Prayers Needed!!!!

Please take a few moments today to offer a prayer for a friend of mine, Matt, who is undergoing a brain operation today.

He is the father of six young children and needs all of our prayers and strong thoughts to get him through this procedure today! I know he will be fine, but prayers are certainly heard!

The Holy Spirit and Mary are on call for us!  Make the call please!!!

Thank you and God Bless!

Stay Strong!

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."
-e. e. cummings

"Skill in the art of communication is crucial to a leader's success. He can accomplish nothing unless he can communicate effectively."
~ Norman Allen

Welcome and learn from Adversity

"If we study the lives of great men and women carefully and unemotionally we find that, invariably, greatness was developed, tested and revealed through the darker periods of their lives.

One of the largest tributaries of the RIVER OF GREATNESS is always the STREAM OF ADVERSITY."

~ Cavett Robert

Principles

"A "No" uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a "Yes" merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.

-Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Wisdom...everything will pass.....

"I am now seventy-eight years old, and have seen so many, many things during my lifetime.

So many young people have died, so many people of my own age have died, so many old people have died.

So many people that were high up have become low.

So many people that were low have risen to be high up.

So many countries have changed.

There has been so much turmoil and tragedy, so many wars, and plagues, so much terrible destruction all over the world.

And yet all these changes are no more real than a dream.

When you look deeply, you realize there is nothing that is permanent and constant, nothing, not even the tiniest hair on your body.

And this is not a theory, but something you can actually come to know and realize and see, even, with your very own eyes."

—Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Courtesy of Rigpa: Glimpse of the Day, March 2nd,

Perspective on Trials and Challenges

"Trials, temptations, disappointments—all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly.

They not only test the fiber of character but strengthen it.

Every conquering temptation represents a new fund of moral energy.

Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before."

~ James Buckham