. . . when you die, you are grieved by all the atoms
of which you were composed.

They hung together for years,
whether in sheets of skin or communities of spleen.

With your death they do not die.

Instead, they part ways, moving off in their separate directions,
mourning the loss of a special time they shared together,

haunted by the feeling that they were once playing parts in
something larger than themselves, something that had its own life,

something they can hardly put a finger on.


~ David Eagleman

Say What?

"For me it is the Virgin birth, the Incarnation, the Resurrection which are the true laws of the flesh and the physical. Death, decay, destruction are the suspension of these laws."

-----Flannery O'Connor
(Cited in "Things Seen and Unseen" by Lawrence S. Cunningham)

Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.

~~Eskimo Proverb~~

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

~~ C.S. Lewis ~~

A Hymn for Atheists

People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering.

~~St. Augustine~~

Attitude

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror,
and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'I think I'll braid my hair today.'
So she did and she had a wonderful day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror
and saw that she had only two hairs on her head
'H-M-M,' she said, 'I think I'll part my hair down the middle today.'
So she did and she had a grand day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed
that she had only one hair on her head.
'Well,' she said, 'today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail.'
So she did, and she had a fun, fun day.

The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and
noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
'YAY!' she exclaimed. 'I don't have to fix my hair today!'

Attitude is everything.
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, speak kindly, and pray continually.

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...
It's about learning to dance in the rain.

It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived

Night Prayer

"Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work or watch or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous, comfort the dying, and all for your Love's sake."

“What is objectionable, what is dangerous, about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.” ---Robert Kennedy

"Pater Noster" in other words

Creator of Heavens
I can hardly say your name.
I want what you want,
But I fear what you want is me.
Give me what I need to live each day
Not hurting people, even those who hurt me.
Keep me moving forward in your direction
With love, grace and humor.