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Broken Dreams —Robert J. Burdette As children bring their broken toys With tears for us to mend, I brought my broken dreams to God Because He was my friend. But then instead of leaving Him In peace to work alone, I hung around and tried to help With ways that were my own. At last I snatched them back and cried, "How could you be so slow" "My child," He said, "What could I do? You never did let go." The Tone of Voice —Author unknown It's not so much what you say As the manner in which you say it. It's not so much the language you use As the tone in which you convey it. "Come here!" I sharply said And the child cowered and wept. "Come here," I said.... He looked and smiled And straight to my lap he crept. Words may be mild and fair But the tone may pierce like a dart. Words may be soft as the summer air But the tone may break my heart. For words come from the mind Grow by study and art.... But tone leaps from the inner self Revealing the state of the heart. Excerpt from an essay by Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross I learned that it is our choice, our own personal choice, whether we want to continue living as victims of resentment, negativity, the need for revenge, or whether we elect to leave the negativity behind and view the tragedies as the windstorms of life which can strengthen us and help us to grow. Such experiences can help others shed their negativity as well, leaving them stronger and more polished and more beautiful, like a rock that has gone through the tumbler. Listen... —Author unknown When I asked you to listen to me and you start giving me advice, you have not done what I asked. When I asked you to listen to me and you begin to tell me why I shouldn'tfeel that way, you are trampling on my feelings. When I ask you to listen to me and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem, you have failed me as strange as it may seem. LISTEN! All I asked was that you listen. Not talk or do ---just hear me. Advice is cheap; 50 cents will get you both Dear Abby & Billy Graham in the same newspaper. And I can do for myself; I am not helpless. When you do something for me that I can do for myself, you contribute to my fear and weakness. But when you accept as a simple fact that I do feel what I feel, no matter how irrational, then I can quit trying to convince you, and can go about the business of understanding what's behind this irrational feeling. And when it is clear, the answers are obvious and I don't need advice. So, please listen and just hear me. And if you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn; and I'll listen to you. Letting Go —Author unknown Letting go does not mean to stop caring; it means I can't do it for someone else. Letting go is not to cut myself off; it's the realization I can't control another. Letting go is not to enable; but to allow learning from natural consequences. Letting go is to admit powerlessness; which means the outcome is not in my hands. Letting go is not to try and change or blame another; it's to make the most of myself. Letting go is not to care for; but to care about. Letting go is not to fix; but to be supportive. It's not to judge, - but to allow another to be a human being. Letting go is not to be in the middle, arranging the outcome; but to allow others to affect their own destinies. Letting go is not to be protective; it's to permit another to face reality. Letting go is not to deny; but to accept. Letting go is not to nag, scold or argue; but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them. Letting go is not to adjust everything to my own desires; but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it. Letting go is not to criticize and regulate anybody; but to try and become what I dream I can be. Letting go is not to regret the past; but to grow and live for the future. Letting go is to fear less and live more. |