Inspiration Shared By Lady Braids

Inspiration On 1/5/12

Often in life we make no time to listen. Really
listening to our partners or our children requires
us to move away from the human nature of
"what about me".

Listening and understanding other people helps
in our inner journey of self understanding. I have
found that the time spent making other peoples'
dreams spring to life has been the most rewarding
experience for my own personal growth.

Too often we get locked away in the I syndrome.
I did this, I done that, I am important,
I ... ,
I ... ,
I ... ,

We all need to feel important and loved - that is one
our strongest human passions. I find true importance
in listening and helping others. Try some today, you
will be pleasantly rewarded.

 -- © John Ahern

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

Inspiration On 11/18/11

 . . . I try to share all the things I have learned these past 27 years:
that God loves us more than we could ever dream, that we can love
each other as well, and that when we do so we will have JOY no
matter what struggles we may face or losses we may endure. 

Take some time today then to think about what you can give to life.
You are a beloved Child of God with unique talents, knowledge, and
blessings. You can give this world so much love and do so much to
help others. You can make this world and your soul a little better
each day.

And when you do so you will get what we all truly want out of life:
sweet happiness.

 -- Joseph J Mazzella 

Inspiration On 11/10/11

 

I am optimistic about the future of the human race. Now many of
my friends have asked me time and again how I can have such
hope for the future in the face of the problems we have today.
Hunger, pollution, sickness, inflation, recession, unemployment,
wars, and terrorism fill so many hearts with fear. This world
seems to be overflowing too with greed, hypocrisy, anger,
hatred, prejudice, and intolerance. A better life for ourselves
and our children seems for many to be some impossible dream.
How then can I be so optimistic?

My optimism comes from looking into the hearts and souls of
all the people I see everyday. I see a little boy holding open
a heavy door for an elderly man walking with a cane. I see a
young mother carrying a baby in her arms buy an extra box
of macaroni in the store and put it in the food drive box to
help feed the hungry. I see 3 different people pull off the
road to help a motorist whose car broke down. I see a lady
going door to door to share the extra vegetables she had
grown in her garden with her neighbors. I see teenagers
giving up their Spring and Summer vacations to spend their
time helping to repair the homes of the poor and elderly.
I see a man taking off his one Winter coat and giving it to
a woman who has none.

I see people give their time, talents, and energies to make
the life of someone else a little better and a little brighter.
Everywhere I look I see people with smiling faces and kind
hearts. Everywhere I look I see people helping people,
people caring for our world, and people loving their neighbors
as themselves. Everywhere I look I see people living as God
meant for us to live.

That is why I remain so optimistic about us all. Sometimes we
fail, are selfish, and create more problems than we solve. Still,
in our hearts we are good. In our souls we are God’s children.
In our lives we are loving beings capable of saving this world
for us and our children.

 -- Joseph J Mazzella

 

Inspiration On 11/07/11

 

I was in a local store the other day getting my furry, four-
legged friends some food. It was a busy time of the day
and instead of just running in and out I found myself behind
three other people in the checkout line. I didn’t really mind,
though, when I saw that one of my favorite cashiers was on
duty. This cashier always takes the time to give you a few
kind words and a warm smile along with your change. There
is no extra charge for the pleasantness, cheerfulness, and
goodness she gives even though they are the most valuable
things in the store. 

As I was waiting to checkout I glanced at one of the maga-
zines on the rack. I noticed it had a female celebrity
wearing a gem studded gown worth four times as much as
my friendly cashier could make in a year. When I looked at
it, however, I couldn’t help but think that nothing on that
dress sparkled as brightly or shined as beautifully as that
cashier’s joyful smile. 

In this life everyone is our teacher. Some teach us how to
live and some teach us how not to live. I think that both
the celebrity and the cashier taught me the same thing that
day. They both taught me that it is far less important how
we dress up our lives and far more important how we live
our lives. What use, after all, is an eighty thousand dollar
evening gown that will be worn only once. A smile can be
worn every single day and its uses are never ending. It can
uplift a hurting heart. It can bring laughter to a weary soul.
It can share the warm glow of friendship. It can reconnect
us to the human family. It can show us just how beautiful
life can be. It can remind us just how much God loves us,
and it can open a window inside of us so that the light
and joy of Heaven can enter. 

Don’t spend too much time or money dressing up your life
then. Spend your time living it instead. Remember the most
beautiful things we can wear are a loving heart and a smiling face.

 -- Joseph J. Mazzella

 

Inspiration On 10/10/11

 

You're miserable and probably one of the rudest people
I've ever come across. 

When I approach you, you turn away and pretend that
I am not there, until you're ready. 

I have tried a thousand times to make you smile and
you have tried a thousand times not to. 

I have dreaded even having to deal with you. I even
tried coming at another time only to find you there
at all hours. 

The hard, staid, look on your face remains unchanged
no matter what day it is, what time it is or even what
season. 

A "Beautiful day!" gets a moan. 

"Hello, how are you today?" always returns "The same." 

I have given up on you, I have been angered by you, I
have even thought about complaining to the manager,
but didn't. 

Then one day I caught myself acting just like you and
realized that I must stop.

I finally resolved myself to the fact that you are who
you are and I cannot change that. 

You are a fact of my life and I must learn to deal with it. 

You made me. 

The one day that I permitted myself to return the
emptiness, rude behavior, terrible attitude and silent
treatment, you chose to say something. 

I approached the checkout and you said, "Are you Okay?"

I was stunned. I could actually feel my brow, my entire
face scrunch up apparently angry that you would ask. 

"Am I okay?" I said in disbelief. 

"Yes." you replied. "You are usually so upbeat and chipper." 

I stood in this dream-like state confused by what was going on. 

You looked at me and said, "I depend on you to lift my spirits
every time you come in. I work three jobs, my bills are piling
up, my kids need clothes for school, my husband left me and
three weeks later I found out I have cancer." 

I was speechless. 

"Now you come in with this attitude today," she said. 

I actually apologized. 

I never considered that you were much more than a clerk.
I never tried to understand that behind that face was
personal pain, life challenges and loss. 

Sure you should learn to separate work and life, but
sometimes life digs in, hurts, and you end up wearing it
like an ugly dress. Fits, but no one wants to see it. 

Knowing now how difficult your life is I will see you
through the eyes of love. 

Love is more than romantic. Love is compassionate. Love
is kind. Love is forgiving. Love is seeing beyond the pain.

 -- I Learned To Love You Today by Bob Perks

Inspiration On 09/28/11

We all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important,
to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade. ...And
the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct. It is a
good instinct if you don't distort it and pervert it.

Don't give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep
feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be the first in
love. I want you to be the first in moral excellence. I want you
to be the first in generosity.

 -- Dr Martin Luther King Jr  

Inspiration On 09/15/11

To quote a phrase from a 1989 teen movie: "Be excellent
to each other." You never know when God will call you or
someone in your life to be another beautiful flower in His
garden.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each
other, just as Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32 

Namaste,
Linnda

Inspiration On 09/07/11

 

Care for those around you. Look past your differences.
Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices in
life no more easily made. And give. Give in any way that
you can, of whatever you possess. To give is to love.
To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest
than how it is shared, and your life will have meaning
and your heart will have peace.

 -- Kent Nerburn

     Letters To My Son: A Father's Wisdom On Manhood, Life and Love

 

 

Inspiration On 09/06/11

Study military strategy and you will find a re-occurring theme,
divide the enemy. Separate them. Isolate them. If you've ever
watched a nature episode on the Discovery channel then you
have seen how the animals hunt and divide the weakest off
from the herd. 

Satan, our enemy, wants to do the exact same thing. Separate
us. Isolate us. Make a man feel like he is all alone. "No one
else at your church would be able to help you with this," he
whispers. "No one else is struggling like you." And the big lie
he whispers to me all the time, "No one else really cares."
Which is just a step away from saying, God doesn't care.

Even though I know they are all lies, I can't believe how
quickly I will fall for them. I have to "speak" the truth to myself. 

But there is still something else we all need. It helps us carry on
during battles. We need encouragement. Some of us may not
realize how much we need it.

At our recent Men Who Win Advance, several men took the
scary risk of sharing their weaknesses and struggles. I call it
scary because Satan whispers in our ear, "These men will
reject you if you tell them that." That might be true if we
shared our struggles with men of the world, but never true
when shared with men of God.

Immediately each man received encouragement. We laid
hands on each one and prayed for him. Those men left
feeling restored and uplifted. They felt stronger. Part of
the reason for feeling stronger, they knew they were not
alone.

The next day after it was over, one man sent me a text,
"May the Lord rock your Spirit today." At the time I did
not know who it was, but it still immediately brought
encouragement. I did not feel alone. I knew if I needed
someone to cover my back, I had it.

You might be saying, "No one ever encourages me." First,
have you let anyone know of your struggles? Have you let
another man of God see your weakness? That's really
important. We can't help each other fight the enemy if we
don't know how or where the enemy is attacking us through
you. Secondly, I would remind all of us of the Galatians 6:7
principle, "You will ALWAYS harvest what you plant." (NLT)
If you want to harvest some encouragement, then go plant
some today. I guarantee you will be surprised how many
men need to be encouraged.

 -- Jamie Futrell
     Men who Win Ministries
     http://www.menwhowin.com/