Chapter ~ 1

STEADFASTNESS and RESILENCE

"Let Us Be Grateful...
Today we give our thanks most of all, for the ideals of honor and faith we inherit from our forefathers - for the decency of purpose, steadfastness of resolve and strength of will, for the courage and the humility, which they possessed and which we must seek every day to emulate. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." — John F. Kennedy

KINDNESS COUNTS

"...kindness is a choice, and while we can't force others to be kind, we can be kind ourselves and hope to inspire other people... Someone told me that yo have to find something that breaks your heart for you to really get out there and make a difference in that area. And I want others to know that they can start today. If there's an issue or problem or something that they see that they want to solve, all it takes is really just knowing deep down inside that it's something you care about, and you can go out and get started." ~ Orion Jean, Ambassador for Kindness, age 11 ~ Time Magazine's "2022 Kid of the Year"

WINTER MYSTIQUE

"I wanted to feel less.
To not be burdened by emotion,
To not feel sadness,
To not know loss.
I envied the inanimate,
The trees that stand proudly in winter,
Not missing their leaves." ~ Jacqueline Simon Gunn

GENEROSITY OF SPIRIT

"As the world fights to figure everything out,
I'll be holding doors for strangers,
letting people cut in front of me in traffic,
saying good morning, keeping babies entertained in grocery lines,
stopping to talk to some who is lonely,
being patient with sales clerks,
smiling at a passersby.
WHY?
Because I will not stand idly by and live in a world where love is invisible.
Join me in showing kindness,
understanding, and judging less.
Be kind to a stranger,
give grace to friends who are having a bad day,
be forgiving of yourself - today and every day.
BE the change, BE the light,
start today and never stop." ~ Audrey Loves Pary

AFTER A STORM

"If patience is worth anything, it must endure to the end of time. And a living faith will last in the midst of the blackest storm." - Mahatma Gandhi.

"In order to realize the worth of the anchor we need to feel the stress of the storm." ~ Corrie Ten Boom.

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... Life is about learning to dance in the rain." ~ Vivian Greene.

LESSONS FROM A CREEK

"Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you." ~ Margaret Atwood

"As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong." ~ Lao Tzu.

"Its good to leave each day behind, like flowing water, free of sadness. Yesterday is gone and its tale told." ~ Rumi.

"Storytelling"