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Thursday, 5 July 2012

WHAT IS LIFE?


Source: Unknown

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realise it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.
|| Unknown

Tuesday, 3 July 2012

FOURTH OF JULY QUOTES


Source: Eureka

I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit || Theodore Roosevelt

I'd like to see a flag made not out of stars and stripes, but rather fingers and knuckles, so that it could really wave in the wind. It would be the most welcoming flag in all the world || Jarod Kintz

You cannot be disciplined in great things and undisciplined in small things. Brave undisciplined men have no chance against the discipline and valour of other men. Have you seen a few policemen handle a crowd? || George S. Patton Jr

He wore red, white, and blue, but he didn’t look patriotic—he looked like a sloppily wrapped birthday present. But it’s not his fault. I tried to wrap him as tight as I could without restricting movement || Jarod Kintz

Patriotism is easy to understand in America; it means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country || Calvin Coolidge

My country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountainside
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our father's God to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.
|| Samuel Francis Smith

A thoughtful mind, when it sees a Nation's flag, sees not the flag only, but the Nation itself; and whatever may be its symbols, its insignia, he reads chiefly in the flag the Government, the principles, the truths, the history which belongs to the Nation that sets it forth || Henry Ward Beecher

Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime || Adlai Stevenson

A man's country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers, and woods, but it is a principle; and patriotism is loyalty to that principle || George William Curtis

Mimi had red hair and blue eyes, and was rather patriotic in her appearance. When the wind blew her hair around, I was always tempted to place my hand over my heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance || Jarod Kintz

I think patriotism is like charity - it begins at home || Henry James

Our ancestors took this land. They took it and made it and held it. We do not give up what our ancestors gave us. They came across the sea and they fought here, and they built here and they're buried here. This is our land, mixed with our blood, strengthened with our bone. Ours! || Bernard Cornwell

Breathes there the man with soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land || Walter Scott

The “Warrior Ethos” emphasizes placing the mission first, not accepting defeat, and being disciplined physically and mentally. Why? Because an American Soldier is a “guardian of freedom and the American way of life” || Dan Smee

A man's feet must be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world || George Santayana

America is a tune. It must be sung together || Gerald Stanley Lee

A politician will do anything to keep his job - even become a patriot || William Randolph Hearst

It’s not unpatriotic to denounce an injustice committed on our behalf, perhaps it’s the most patriotic thing we can do || E.A. Bucchianeri

“When will the others come?
"And there is one who will never come. At least we will not see him if he does. But, oh, when I think he will be there - when our Canadian soldiers return there will be a shadow army with them - the army of the fallen. We will not see them - but they will be there! || L.M. Montgomery

The law is too important to be left to the lawyers, to paraphrase Georges Clemenceau about war and generals. We laymen know too little about our Constitution and think too superficially about its influence on the qualities of American life. Civic duty requires more || David K. Shipler

Freedom is more than just a patriotic concept; it is the purest intent of our design. Be you. Be free. Be nice || Steve Maraboli

Never let the sacrifice of others be for nothing by doing nothing || L.M. Fields

Monday, 2 July 2012

LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING


Source: Unknown

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library.

Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell.

With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.

During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting - 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York.

"You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel." So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen.

I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:

A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose.

As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. "Going my way, sailor?" she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat.. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away.

I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her.

This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment.

"I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?"

The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"

It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.

Saturday, 30 June 2012

THE SECRET OF LIFE


SOURCE: UNKNOWN

Every day goes by like the last
It seems that time flies too fast
I close my eyes and ask it to stop
I look at the clock and another minute has passed
I think to myself…

What would I do if I weren't consumed?
Consumed by the world and all that it is
The obligations attached to being successful and popular
What would I do?

Embrace those that I love…
Care for those that I don't…
Learn how to love those I hate….
Enjoy every moment I get…
Forget about what means nothing …
Remember all that means everything…
Make a joke when I shouldn't…
Laugh even though its not funny…
Cry when I'm happy…
Never fear, it only wastes time…
Show the devil when he's met his match…
Cast out my demons forever…
Travel the world and see…
Stand on the highest mountain…
Be the heart of a dead country...
Make my own music…
Even though it doesn't rhyme, make my own poem…
Sing my own songs…
Make new friends…
Accept different cultures…
Eat weird food…
Hug, kiss, and never let go…

All the things that I used to think were so important
I now realize mean nothing
All I want to do is help those who can't help themselves

All the money in the world can't buy my happiness
All the joys of doing what I love
All means nothing in the face of God if
All I have is nothing for him

In a matter of 60 seconds
I've figured out the secret of life
But now I'm falling asleep
Will I remember when I wake up?

Friday, 22 June 2012

THE SOURCE OF WISDOM


A simple man met a very wise man.


“Can you tell me the source of your wisdom?” he asked.


“In two words,” the wise man replied, “good choices.”


“And what is the source of the good choices?”


“In one word, experience.”


“And to what do you attribute your experience?”


“In two words,” the wise man said, “bad choices.”

Sunday, 17 June 2012

WALK A LITTLE SLOWER, DADDY


"Walk a Little slower, Daddy," said a little child so small.
I'm following in your footsteps and I don't want to fall.
Sometimes your steps are very fast, sometimes they're hard to see;
So walk a little slower Daddy, for you are leading me.
Someday when I'm all grown up, you're what I want to be.
Then I will have a little child who'll want to follow me.
And I would want to lead just right, and know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy, for I must follow you!
- Unknown

Saturday, 16 June 2012

YOU'VE BEEN EVERYTHING TO ME


You've been everything to me: a father,
Teacher, playmate, model, conscience, friend.
Sometimes I'm not certain why you bother,
If your feelings on my words depend.
I know I haven't been the child I should:
Far from it, and I really can't say why.
I know exactly what I'd label good,
But in the real world something goes awry.
Underneath my actions there is love,
Gratitude, respect, and admiration.
Sometimes I don't know what I'm thinking of,
But I thank God you're in for the duration.
I'm sorry, sorry for the things I do,
But please believe I cherish Mom and you.
- Unknown