A better man

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. - Benjamin Franklin

I sent a letter

I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it. - Mark Twain

The gift of love

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. -  Benjamin Franklin

Office parties

What I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day. - Phyllis Diller 

Twain on New Year's

 New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions. - Mark Twain

How long?

"How long does getting thin take?" asked Pooh, anxiously. – A.A. Milne

Three for Thee

What does the poor man do at the rich man’s door, the sick man in the presence of his physician, the thirsty man at a limpid stream? What they do, I do before the Eucharistic God. I pray. I adore. I love. -St. Francis


"What self denial! What self abasement! What self emptying! He, whom no infinitudes can hold, is contained within infant’s age, and infant’s form. Can it be, that the great ‘I AM THAT I AM’ shrinks into our flesh?"  - Henry Law 


For the Christ-child who comes is the Master of all; No palace too great, no cottage too small.  - Phillips Brooks

What is your business?

"Business!" cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. "Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!" - Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol)

Something to give to the world

Everyone on this earth should believe, amid whatever madness or moral failure, that his life and temperament have some object on the earth. Everyone on the earth should believe that he has something to give to the world which cannot otherwise be given. - Chesterton

The power of friendship

Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief.  - Swedish Proverb

Putting more in

A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out. - George Bernard Shaw

Complete faith & confidence

Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence. - Pope John Paul II

Thoughts on shopping

Shopping:  The fine art of acquiring things you don't need with money you don't have.  - Author Unknown

3 for the Blessed Mother

She is more Mother than Queen. --Saint Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church


From Mary we learn to surrender to God's Will in all things. From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God! - Pope John Paul II

All my own perception of beauty both in majesty and simplicity is founded upon Our Lady. - J.R.R. Tolkien


This one occurs in another blog posting, but it is so good I will add it again.
If you ever feel distressed during your day — call upon our Lady — just say this simple prayer: 'Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now.' I must admit — this prayer has never failed me. --Blessed Mother Teresa 

The Heart & Unity

Love is the only reality and it is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that lies at the heart of creation. - Rabindranath Tagore


Even if a unity of faith is not possible, a unity of love is.  - Hans Urs von Balthasar

A healthy attitude

Take your work seriously and yourself lightly. - Bob Nelson

Less is more

I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be. - Thomas Jefferson

Treat them greatly

Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Community

Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.  - Rollo May

Joy in all things

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. - Mother Teresa



It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. - Albert Einstein



Christ is the Teacher who awakens in all of us that joy by which we can lead others to Him.

Choose wisely

Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.  - Unknown

Woven into the lives of others

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others. - Pericles

Dragons can be beaten

Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten. -- G. K. Chesterton

Always learning

Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn. - Benjamin Franklin

Time changes everything

If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten you labeled a radical 60 years ago, a liberal 30 years ago and a racist today. - Thomas Sowell

Finding the paradox & making an exception

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love. - Mother Teresa


Yesterday's forgotten quote


I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception. - Groucho Marx

For our Plant Manager who turned 50 today.

Middle age: Later than you think, and sooner than you expected.

Eating raw meat

If there hadn't been women we'd still be squatting in a cave eating raw meat, because we made civilization in order to impress our girlfriends. - Orson Welles