Don't dismiss your Dreams;
to be without dreams is to be without hope.
To be without hope is to be without purpose.
Don't run through life so fast
that you forget where you've been,
But also where you're going.
Life is not a race,
but a journey to be savoured every step of the way.
Don't undermine your worth
by comparing yourself with others:
It is because we are different
that each of us is special.
Don't set your goals
by what other people deem important:
Only you know what is best for you.
Don't take for granted
the things closest to your heart.
Cling to that as you would your life,
for without them life is meaningless.
Don't let your life slip through your fingers
by living in the past or the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
you live all the days of your life.
Don't give up when you still have something to give,
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

ONE

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.
One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.
One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true.
One life can make the difference,

You see it's up to YOU!

ALWAYS

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But don't forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

Always remember to forget
The troubles that have passed away.
But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

REMEMBER TODAY

Sometimes we tend to forget,
You have a purpose that is all your own,
No one else is you.
You have dreams and hopes and desires,
Listen to your heart for a while.

Remember today all the blessings you have,
There's beauty in every direction you look.
Enjoy the abundance that is already yours,
The world is a wonderful place and your're here.

Remember today that you get what you give,
Your world is a mirror of your inner self.
Love will be yours when you give it away.

Remember today that life is creation.
As long as you live,
you can always contribute Your own special voice.

Remember today is a special time,
Make the best of it while you can.

HOW OFTEN WE WISH FOR ANOTHER CHANCE

How often we wish for another chance
To make a fresh beginning.
A change to blot out our mistakes.
And change failure into winning.
And it does not take a special time
To make a brand-new start,
It only takes the deep desire
To try with all our heart,
To live a little better
And to always be forgiving,
To add a little sunshine
To the world in which we're living.

So never give up in despair
And think that you are through,
For there's always a tomorrow
And a chance to start anew.

RELISH THE MOMENT

Yesterday belongs to history,
tomorrow belongs to God.
Yesterday's a fading sunset,
tomorrow's a faint sunrise.
Only today is there light
enough to love and live.
So, gently close the door on yesterday
and throw the key away.
It isn't the burdens of today
that drive men and women mad,
but rather the regret over yesterday
and the fear of tomorrow.

"Relish the moment" is a good motto,
especial when coupled with Psalms 118:24:

"This is the day which the Lord hath made:
we will rejoice and be glad in it"

So stop pacing the aisles
and counting the miles.
Instead...,
Swim more rivers, climb more mountains,
Kiss more babies, count more stars.
Laugh more and cry less. Go barefoot more often.
Eat more ice cream. Ride more merry-go-rounds.
Watch more sunsets.
Life must be lived as we go along.

IF TODAY...

"If you planted hope today
In any hopeless heart.
If someone's burden was lighter
Because you did your part.
If you caused a laugh
That chased some tears away.
If tonight your name is named
When someone kneels to pray.
Then your day has been well spent."

SUNSHINE AND RAIN

No Life is useless and no day is vain,
For God has a purpose for sunshine and rain

All are discouraged and everyone cries
But we're never alone beneath cloudy skies,

All hearts can break... they're fragile as glass
But God will mend them, and this too shall pass.

Sometimes we succeed, and sometimes we fail
So follow your dream whatever the trail,

For no one's a loser who gives it his best,
and you can stand tall above all the rest.

Those who are faithful are noble at heart,
And no life is useless when God has a part.

Be swift to give praises and slow to complain....
God has a purpose for sunshine and rain.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Do more than exist, Live
Do more than touch, Feel
Do more than look, Observe
Do more than read, Absorb
Do more than hear, Listen
Do more than listen, Understand
Do more than think, Ponder
Do more than talk, Say Something!

OBSTACLES

For a long time it seemed to me
that real life was about to begin,
but there was always some obstacle in the way.
Something had to be got through first,
some unfinished business;
time still to be served,
a debt to be paid.
Then life would begin.
At last it dawned on me
that these obstacles were my life.

I ASKED GOD FOR STRENGTH...

I asked God for strength,
that I might achieve;
I was made weak, that I might learn to humbly obey.

I asked for health,
that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches,
that I might be happy;
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power,
that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things,
that I might enjoy life;
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for,
But everything I had hoped for.

I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

BALANCE WITHIN

So much of the time, I believe, we have much more room for activity and doing in our lives, but in some way convince ourselves we're just too busy. Too busy to talk with a friend, too busy to plant flowers, too busy to try something that we've always wanted to do. The list goes on and on. But the truth is that when we are imbalanced by not honoring what is best for us as individuals, even the most sedentary lifestyle can seem stressful.

It doesn't have to be that way though. At this time of new beginnings, perhaps it is time to have a renewed look at your dreams and aspirations. Determine what you wish to do, and what elements may be missing in your life that would give you the sense of balance and fullness once enjoyed. It is these things, sometimes very small, that will give you the sense of happiness if any can.

Choose well to know your dreams!

DON'T EVER...

Don't ever try to understand everything,
some things will just never make sense.
Don't ever be reluctant to show your feelings
when you're happy, give into it!
When you're not, live with it.
Don't ever be afraid to try
to make things better,
you might be surprised at the results.
Don't ever take the weight of the world
on your shoulders.
Don't ever feel threatened by the future,
take life one day at a time.
Don't ever feel guilty about the past,
what's done is done.
Learn from any mistakes you might have made.
Don't ever feel that you are alone,
there is always somebody there
for you to reach out to.
Don't ever forget that you can achieve
so many of the things you can imagine,
imagine that!
It's not as hard as it seems.
Don't ever stop loving,
don't ever stop believing,
don't ever stop dreaming your dreams.

ALWAYS HAVE A DREAM

Forget about the days when it's been cloudy,
but don't forget your hours in the sun.
Forget about the times you've been defeated,
but don't forget the victories you've won.
Forget about the mistakes
that you can't change now,
but don't forget the lessons.
Forget about the misfortunes you've encountered,
but don't forget the times your luck has turned.
Forget about the days when you've been lonely,
but don't forget the friendly smiles you've seen...
Forget about the plans
that didn't seem to work out right,
but don't forget to always have a dream.

ONE THING TO NEVER FORGET

One Thing To Never Forget
Your presence is a PRESENT to the world.
You're UNIQUE and one of a kind.
Your Life can be what YOU want it to be.
Take the days just one at a time

Count your BLESSINGS, not your troubles.
You'll make it through whatever comes along.
Within you are so many ANSWERS.
Understand, have courage, be STRONG.

Don't put LIMITS on Yourself.
So many dreams are waiting to be REALIZED.
Decisions are too important to be left to chance.
Reach for your peak, your goal, and your PRIZE.

Nothing wastes more ENERGY than worrying.
The longer one carries a problem, the HEAVIER it gets.
Don't take things too SERIOUSLY.
Live a life of SERENITY, not a life of regrets.

Remember that a little love GOES A LONG WAY.
Remember that a lot, goes FOREVER.
Remember that FRIENDSHIP is a wise investment.
Life's treasures are people...TOGETHER.

Realize that it's NEVER TOO LATE.
Do ordinary things in an EXTRAORDINARY way.
Have health and hope and HAPPINESS.
Take the time to wish UPON A STAR.

And don't EVER FORGET...
For EVEN A DAY...
HOW VERY SPECIAL YOU ARE.

TAKE THE TIME

Take time to be friendly---
It is the road to happiness.

Take time to dream---
It is hitching your wagon to a star.

Take time to love and to be loved---
It is the privilege of the gods.

Take time to look around---
It is too short a day to be selfish.

Take time to laugh---
It is the music of the soul.

MAKE EACH DAY OF YOUR LIFE HAPPIER

Every Day ...
Share a kind word with a friend.
Give away a smile.
Tell one secret.
Listen to what someone has to say.
Listen with your heart,
to what someone cannot say.
Try one new thing.
Forgive one person who has hurt you.
Forgive yourself for past mistakes.
Realize your imperfections.
Discover your possibilities.
Make a new friend.
Accept responsibility for everything you do.
Refuse responsibility for anyone else's actions.
Dream one dream.
Watch the sunset.
Cherish what you have.
Cherish who you are.
Love your life.

Little Things

LITTLE drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.

Little deeds of kindness,
Little words of love,
Make our world an Eden
Like the Heaven above.

Think Gently of the Erring

THINK gently of the erring:
Ye know not of the power
With which the dark temptation came
In some unguarded hour.
Ye may not know how earnestly
They struggled, or how well,
Until the hour of weakness came
And sadly thus they fell.

Think gently of the erring:
Oh! do not thou forget,
However darkly stained by sin
He is thy brother yet;
Heir of the selfsame heritage,
Child of the selfsame God,
He has but stumbled in the path
Thou hast in weakness trod.

Speak gently to the erring:
For is it not enough
That innocence and peace have gone,
Without thy censure rough?
It sure must be a weary lot,
That sin-stained heart to bear,
And those who share a happier fate
Their chidings well may spare.

Speak gently to the erring:
Thou yet may'st lead them back
With holy words and tones of love,
From misery's thorny track:
Forget not thou hast often sinned,
And sinful yet must be;
Deal gently with the erring, then,
As God has dealt with thee.

Lassitude

I LAID me down beside the sea,
Endless in blue monotony;
The clouds were anchored in the sky,
Sometimes a sail went idling by.

Upon the shingles on the beach
Gray linen was spread out to bleach,
And gently with a gentle swell
The languid ripples rose and fell.

The Sower

THE winds had hushed at last as by command;
The quiet sky above,
With its grey clouds spread oer the fallow land,
Sat brooding like a dove.

There was no motion in the air, no sound
Within the tree-tops stirred,
Save when some last leaf, fluttering to the ground,
Dropped like a wounded bird.

Or when the swart rooks in a gathering crowd
With clamorous noises wheeled,
Hovering awhile, then swooped with wrangling loud
Down to the stubbly field.

For now the big-thewed horses, toiling slow
In straining couples yoked,
Patiently dragged the plowshare to and fro
Till their wet haunches smoked.

Till the stiff acre, broken into clods,
Bruised by the harrow's tooth,
Lay lightly shaken, with its humid sods
Ranged into furrows smooth.

There looming lone, from rise to set of sun,
Without or pause or speed,
Solemnly striding by the furrows dun,
The sower sows the seed.

The sower sows the seed, which mouldering,
Deep coffined in the earth,
Is buried now, but with the future spring
Will quicken into birth.

Oh, poles of birth and death! Controlling Powers
Of human toil and need!
On this fair earth all men are surely sowers,
Surely all life is seed!

All life is seed, dropped in Time's yawning furrow,
Which with slow sprout and shoot,
In the revolving world's unfathomed morrow,
Will blossom and bear fruit.

The Death of the Flowers

THE melancholy days are come, the saddest of the year,
Of wailing winds, and naked woods, and meadows brown and sere.
Heaped in the hollows of the grove, the autumn leaves lie dead;
They rustle to the eddying gust, and to the rabbit's tread;
The robin and the wren are flown, and from the shrubs the jay,
And from the wood-top calls the crow through all the gloomy day.

Where are the flowers, the fair young flowers, that lately sprang and stood
In brighter light and softer airs, a beauteous sisterhood?
Alas! they all are in their graves, the gentle race of flowers
Are lying in their lowly beds, with the fair and good of ours.
The rain is falling where they lie, but the cold November rain
Calls not from out the gloomy earth the lovely ones again.

The wind-flower and the violet, they perished long ago,
And the brier-rose and the orchis died amid the summer glow;
But on the hills the golden-rod, and the aster in the wood,
And the yellow sun-flower by the brook in autumn beauty stood,
Till fell the frost from the clear cold heaven, as falls the plague on men,
And the brightness of their smile was gone, from upland, glade, and glen.

And now, when comes the calm mild day, as still such days will come,
To call the squirrel and the bee from out their winter home;
When the sound of dropping nuts is heard, though all the trees are still,
And twinkle in the smoky light the waters of the rill,
The south wind searches for the flowers whose fragrance late he bore,
And sighs to find them in the wood and by the stream no more.

And then I think of one who in her youthful beauty died,
The fair meek blossom that grew up and faded by my side.
In the cold moist earth we laid her, when the forests cast the leaf,
And we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief:
Yet not unmeet it was that one, like that young friend of ours,
So gentle and so beautiful, should perish with the flowers.

The Death of Lincoln

OH, slow to smit and swift to spare,
Gentle and merciful and just!
Who, in the fear of God, didst bear
The sword of power, a nation's trust!

In sorrow by thy bier we stand,
Amid the awe that hushes all,
And speak the anguish of a land
That shook with horror at thy fall.

Thy task is done; the bond of free;
We bear thee to an honored grave,
Whose proudest monument shall be
The broken fetters of the slave.

Pure was thy life; its bloddy close
Hath placed thee with the sons of light,
Among the noble host of those
Who perished in the cause of Right

The Strange Lady

THE summer morn is bright and fresh, the birds are darting by,
As if they loved to breast the breeze that sweeps the cool dear sky;
Young Albert, in the forest's edge, has heard a rustling sound
An arrow slightly strikes his hand and falls upon the ground.

A lovely woman from the wood comes suddenly in sight;
Her merry eye is full and black, her cheek is brown and bright;
She wears a tunic of the blue, her belt with beads is strung,
And yet she speaks in gentle tones, and in the English tongue.

"It was an idle bolt I sent, against the villain crow;
Fair sir, I fear it harmed thy hand; beshrew my erring bow!"
"Ah! would that bolt had not been spent, then, lady, might I wear
A lasting token on my hand of one so passing fair!"

"Thou art a flatterer like the rest, but wouldst thou take with me
A day of hunting in the wilds, beneath the greenwood tree,
I know where most the pheasants feed, and where the red-deer herd,
And thou shouldst chase the nobler game, and I bring down the bird."

Now Albert in her quiver lays the arrow in its place,
And wonders as he gazes on the beauty of her face:
`Those hunting-grounds are far away, and, lady, 'twere not meet
That night, amid the wilderness, should overtake thy feet."

"Heed not the night, a summer lodge amid the wild is mine,
'Tis shadowed by the tulip-tree, 'tis mantled by the vine;
The wild plum sheds its yellow fruit from fragrant thickets nigh,
And flowery prairies from the door stretch till they meet the sky.

"There in the boughs that hide the roof the mock-bird sits and sings,
And there the hang-bird's brood within its little hammock swings;
A pebbly brook, where rustling winds among the hopples sweep,
Shall lull thee till the morning sun looks in upon thy sleep."

Away, into the forest depths by pleasant paths they go,
He with his rifle on his arm, the lady with her bow,
Where cornels arch their cool dark boughs o'er beds of wintergreen,
And never at his father's door again was Albert seen.

That night upon the woods came down a furious hurricane,
With howl of winds and roar of streams and beating of the rain;
The mighty thunder broke and drowned the noises in its crash;
The old trees seemed to fight like fiends beneath the lightning-flash.

Next day, within a mossy glen, mid mouldering trunks were found
The fragments of a human form, upon the bloody ground;
White bones from which the flesh was torn, and locks of glossy hair;
They laid them in the place of graves, yet wist not whose they were.
And whether famished evening wolves had mangled Albert so,
Or that strange dame so gay and fair were some mysterious foe,
Or whether to that forest lodge, beyond the mountains blue,
He went to dwell with her, the friends who mourned him never knew.

The Skies

AY! gloriously thou standest there,
Beautiful, boundless firmament!
That swelling wide o'er earth and air,
And round the horizon bent,
With thy bright vault, and sapphire wall,
Dost overhang and circle all.

Far, far below thee, tall old trees
Arise, and piles built up of old,
And hills, whose ancient summits freeze,
In the fierce light and cold.
The eagle soars his utmost height,
Yet far thou stretchest o'er his flight.

Thou hast thy frowns--with thee on high,
The storm has made his airy seat,
Beyond that soft blue curtain lie
His stores of hail and sleet.
Thence the consuming lightnings break.
There the strong hurricanes awake.

Yet art thou prodigal of smiles--
Smiles, sweeter than thy frowns are stem:
Earth sends, from all her thousand isles,
A shout at thy return.
The glory that comes down from thee,
Bathes, in deep joy, the land and sea.

The sun, the gorgeous sun, is thine,
The pomp that brings and shuts the day,
The clouds that round him change and shine,
The airs that fan his way.
Thence look the thoughtful stars, and there
The meek moon walks the silent air.

The sunny Italy may boast
The beauteous tints that flush her skies.
And lovely, round the Grecian coast,
May thy blue pillars rise.
I only know how fair they stand,
Around my own beloved land.

And they are fair--a charm is theirs,
That earth, the proud green earth, has not--
With all the forms, and hues, and airs,
That haunt her sweetest spot.
We gaze upon thy calm pure sphere,
And read of Heaven's eternal year.

Oh, when, amid the throng of men,
The heart grows sick of hollow mirth,
How willingly we turn us then
Away from this cold earth,
And look into thy azure breast,
For seats of innocence and rest.

October

AY, thou art welcome, heaven's delicious breath!
When woods begin to wear the crimson leaf,
And suns grow meek, and the meek suns grow brief
And the year smiles as it draws near its death.
Wind of the sunny south! oh, still delay
In the gay woods and in the golden air,
Like to a good old age released from care,
Journeying, in long serenity, away.
In such a bright, late quiet, would that I
Might wear out life like thee, 'mid bowers and brooks
And dearer yet, the sunshine of kind looks,
And music of kind voices ever nigh;
And when my last sand twinkled in the glass,
Pass silently from men, as thou dost pass.

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