character
Telling Our Stories, 2021 version
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Maya Angelou “Everyone has a story,” I remarked to my friend as she was blessing my heart over learning things about me she didn’t know. “We both know that,” she responded. We don’t have to know much to know that there is no […]
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To See Through the Eyes of Another
“You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.” – John Steinbeck ♦♦♦ “You don’t qualify. Next.” But… “You’ll need to contact your provider. Next.” The exchange of words between the woman and the patient found me with a knot in my throat as I listened. The tone of her voice was not […]
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It’s About the Story
“The soul is dyed by the thoughts. Dye it, then, with a continuous series of such thoughts as these — that where a man can live, there – if he will – he can also live well.” ~Marcus Aurelius Using the pit of the avocado, yarn or fabric can be dyed various shades of peachy […]
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Power Up!
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”― Maya Angelou I gave it away again. I didn’t want or even mean to give it away. It just happened. Just a kid the first time I gave it away, […]
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Speak Softly
“Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far.” ~Theodore Roosevelt Do you ever raise your voice? There are people who are always loud talkers, and there are times of excitement when everyone’s voice tends to be elevated — seeing an old friend, getting good news, or seeing a mouse. There are […]
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Seeing Things Your Way
“But the little boy said There are so many colors in the rainbow So many colors in the morning sun So many colors in the flower and I see every one.” ~Harry Chapin The jar of colored pencils delights my eyes. I keep them where I can see them because they serve as a […]
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A Horse of a Different Color
“First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” ~Atticus, To Kill a Mockingbird The man stood at […]
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How to Lend that Helping Hand
“Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves.” ~ Horace Mann ♦♦♦ Walking down the aisle of the grocery, I noticed the older gentleman looking at an item clearly out of reach from where he sat in his chair. While my instinct is to jump to help, I’ve learned it isn’t always appreciated, so […]
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The Value of the Valley
“What stands in the way becomes the way.” ~Marcus Aurelius ♦♦♦ Standing on the hillside, she could see a very long distance. She could see another hill just across the way. Low and behold, there was the building she was trying to reach. Wrong hill. Or was it? Between this hill and that was a […]
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Freedom Begins at the Bottom
“And the turtles, of course…all the turtles are free, as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.” ― Dr. Seuss, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories ♦♦♦ Holding the little lightning bug in her cupped hands, she waited for the glowing to happen again. It was such a spectacular sight to see the lights popping up […]
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Thoughts to Encourage
Nothing helps like a good nap…
Birds are Beautiful
A Dog is Faithful…
