Inspiration Shared By Lady Braids

Inspiration On 2/8/12

A good barometer to use, when determining how
a big a role you allow someone to play in your life,
is how they treat others - not you.

If a person is kind and caring and compassionate
in their dealings with people, we are not surprised
when they treat us the same way. Yet, if they are
good to us, and mean spirited toward others, we
are shocked and hurt when, somewhere down the
line, they treat us in the same manner.

"But," you say, "He would never do that to ME."

"But," you say, "She would never treat ME like that."

When we care for someone, and we truly believe
they care for us, we tend to overlook certain
things, and we should. None of us are perfect.

But a person who lies... lies. A person who
gossips... gossips. A person who cheats...
cheats. A person who betrays... betrays.

This is a difficult lesson for many people to learn,
myself included. It took a few good-hard-knocks
on the head, before I realized that friendship is
not a safety zone. If I associate myself with
someone who tends to tell lies, I have no logical
reason to be upset when they tell a lie about me.

People show you their true colors all the time.
Simply look at the way they treat others. It's a
pretty reliable indication of who they really are.

Your friendship garden may be small, when your
closest companions are those who treat the
world with the same love and respect that you
do, but their wondrous blossoms will always be
there for you to enjoy.

 -- Living in love and loving life,
     Terri McPherson

Inspiration On 1/23/12

Do you love to be loved, or do you love giving love?

Those who want love, seek love and crave love, will
find themselves in times of great darkness and despair
when that love is absent or they feel it has wronged them.

Those who give love freely, without strings or expectations,
in all they do, live in the sunshine of that love for all their
days.

Life is an adventure when you bring your love to the world.
You are unburdened and free. Like minded people are
attracted by your tenderness and reverence for life. Bias
and bigotry are foreign and unfathomable. Dignity and
respect are your currency, and the more you give away,
the richer you become.

You will never have to look for that kind of love.

It will surround you.

 -- Living in love and loving life,
     Terri McPherson

Inspiration On 12/21/11

Long-time friendships are like precious gems, but if
neglected, they can fall by the wayside. Maintaining
friendships is easy if you are neighbors and can share
day to day experiences like the Ricardos and Mertzes
in "I Love Lucy." but if your friends live across the
country or even across town, it can be more difficult
to stay connected. it's easy to fall out of touch, but
you need to make a conscious decision not to let it
happen. Likewise, budding new friendships won't grow
unless you nurture them.

It may take some effort, but maintaining friendships
will pay off in the long run with cherished memories
and a wider social circle.

It's one of the best investments you will ever make.

 -- Don Hungerford

Inspiration On 12/15/11

Persons are the gifts of God to me! They are already wrapped, some
beautifully and others less attractively. Some have been mishandled in
the mail; others come "Special Delivery." Some are loosely wrapped;
others very tightly closed.

But the wrapping is *not* the gift, and this is an important realization.
It is so easy to make a mistake in this regard...to judge the contents by
the cover.

Sometimes the gift is opened very easily; sometimes the help of others
is needed. Maybe, it is because they are afraid. It could be that they
were once opened and then discarded... Maybe they have been hurt
before and don't want to be hurt again. They may now feel more like
"things" than human persons.

I am a person; like everyone else I too am a gift. God filled me with
a goodness that is only mine. And yet, sometimes I am afraid to look
inside my wrapping. Maybe I am afraid I would be disappointed, and
maybe I don't trust my own contents. Or, it may be that I have never
really accepted the gift that I am. Every meeting and sharing of
persons is an exchange of gifts.

My gift is me.

Your gift is you.

We are gifts to each other.

 -- Author Unknown

Inspiration On 11/22/11

Every day in the world around us,
real-life angels are doing things they do....
and bringing more smiles to the world around them.

Real-life angels build bridges instead of walls
They don't play hide-and-seek with the truth,
they do whatever they can to help you.

Real-life angels understand difficulties
and always give the benefit of the doubt.
They don't hold others up to the standards
they can't live by themselves.

Real-life angels are what "inner beauty" is all about.
Real-life angels don't hold things against you,
the only thing they hold....is you.

They take your hand in theirs
when you could use a little reassurance.
They walk beside you when you could do with
a little guidance and direction in your life.
And they support you in your attempts,
to do what is right.

Real-life angels multiply your smiles
and add to your integrity.
They make you feel like,
"Hey, I really am somebody who matters."
Then they quietly prove to you how beautiful
and true that feeling really is.

If you come across an angel like this,
you are one of the luckiest people of all.

If someone in your life
is wonderfully like an angel to you,
it's important to let them know.
It's the nicest compliment you could ever give,
in all the days of your life
and in all the years that you live.

-- Author Unknown