Healing Thoughts
Miss Me-But Let Me Go
When I come to the end of the road And the sun has set for me I want no rites in a gloom-filled room Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little-but not too long And not with your head bowed low. Remember the love that we once shared, Miss me-but let me go.
For this is a journey that we all must take And each must go alone. It’s all a part of the Master’s plan, A step on the road to home. When you are lonely and sick of heart Go to the friends we know And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds. Miss me-But Let me Go!
Do Not Stand At My Grave
Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there. I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flights. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there. I did not die.
“Each loss is an occasion to remember that survival is a gift.”
“Some days it’s harder than others to keep hope alive. Some days it’s close to impossible just not to cry. Some days I’m filled with wonder and gladness just that I’ve survived.”
Grief is a solitary journey. No one but you can know how great the hurt is. No one but you can know the gaping hole in your life when someone you love has died. And no one but you can mourn the silence that was once filled with laughter and song.
It is the nature of love and of death to touch every person in a totally unique way. Comfort comes from knowing that other people have made the same journey. And solace comes from understanding how others have learned to sing again.
“It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth-and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up-that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had.
“It takes courage to show up for life when life seems to have not shown up for you. It takes courage to believe that new life is possible when all around you are signs of destruction. Yet the wise woman knows that while death and darkness do exist, they are answered by miracles.”
A brief candle; both ends burning An endless mile; a bus wheel turning A friend to share the lonesome times A handshake and a sip of wine So say it loud and let it ring We are all a part of everything The future, present and the past Fly on proud bird You’re free at last.
Desiderta Found in Old Saint Paul’s Church 1542 Go placidly amid the noise and haste, And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, Be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; And listen to others, even dull and ignorant; They too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; They are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, You may become vain and bitter; For always there will be greater And lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; For the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; Many persons strive for high ideals; And everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love for in the Face of all aridity and disenchantment It is perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, Gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden Misfortune. But do not distress yourself With imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue And loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, Be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, No less that the trees and the stars; You have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, Whatever you conceive Him to be, And whatever your labors and aspirations, In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its shams, drudgery, And broken dreams, It is still a beautiful world. Strive to be happy.
A Story About Attitude
John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, ‘If I were any better, I would be twins!’ He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, ‘I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?’
He replied, ‘Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or…you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or…I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or…I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.’
‘Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,’ I protested.
‘Yes, it is,’ he said. ‘Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or a bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life.’
I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, ‘If I were any better, I’d be twins…Wanna see my scars?’
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
‘The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,’ he replied. ‘Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or…I could choose to die. I chose to live.’
‘Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?’ I asked.
He continued, ‘…the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘he’s a dead man’. I knew I needed to take action.’
‘What did you do?’ I asked.
‘Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting question at me,’ said John. ‘She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes, I replied.’ The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Gravity.’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.’
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that everyday we have the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything.
‘Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’ Matthew 6:34 After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
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