Fishing

Many men go fishing all of their lives

without knowing that it is not fish that they are after.

~ Henry David Thoreau ~

Sunshine

Just living is not enough...

one must have sunshine, freedom,

and a little flower.

~ Hans Christian Andersen ~

You Have A Friend

As long as I can cast a shadow,

I am alive.

~ C.S. Lewis ~

     Do you have trouble waking up with a sense of joy and excitement about the day ahead?  Do you feel overwhelmed by real and imagined difficulties?  Why not begin each day with joy just knowing that you are alive and that you have the ability to face your challenges in a positive way.  Look around you as you go about your morning routine.  Do you see your shadow, created by natural or artificial light?  What a perfect reminder that your shadow is there because you are there...alive.  And why not imagine that the shadow you see is a friend, deity, loved-one, or a parent that may have passed away and who is there to help you meet the challenges of your day.  Yes, your shadow can be a helpful reminder that...

You Have A Friend

The Salt of Life

Life would pall if it were all sugar;

salt is bitter if taken by itself;

but when tasted as part of the dish,

it savors the meat.  

Difficulties are the salt of life.

~ Robert Baden-Powell ~

Curiosity

The important thing is not to stop questioning.

Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates

the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous

structure of reality.  It is enough if one tries merely

to comprehend a little of this mystery everyday.

Never lose a holy curiosity.

~ Albert Einstein ~

Two Hands

God has given us two hands - 

one to receive with and the other to give with.

We are not cisterns made for hoarding;

we are channels made for sharing.

~ Billy Graham ~

Rest in Peace, Rev. Billy Graham

I Used Everything

When I stand before God at the end of my life,

I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left,

and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.

~ Erma Bombeck ~

President's Day

Laws made by common consent

 must not be trampled on by individuals.

~ George Washington ~

Nothing can stop the man with the

 right mental attitude from achieving his goal;

nothing on earth can help the man with 

the wrong mental attitude.

~ Thomas Jefferson ~

You can't escape the responsibility

of tomorrow by evading it today.

~ Abraham Lincoln ~

Believe you can and

you are halfway there.

~ Theodore Roosevelt ~

Happy President's Day!

See the Light

It is during our darkest moments

that we must focus to see the light.

~ Aristotle ~

Passion

   Well, it has been over a week since the Super Bowl and I have finally calmed down enough to describe my feelings.  I was born and raised in New Jersey, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia.  As a result, I grew up rooting for all of the Philadelphia sports teams (Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, Seventy-Sixers, and Athletics…yes I am old enough to have been a fan of the Philadelphia Athletics, before they moved to Kansas City and eventually to Oakland California.)

     Since the inception of the Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles have never won.  That’s why this year’s Super Bowl was such an exciting event for all Philly fans.  In addition, they were playing the Patriots, a dominant team in recent years.  What was special about the Patriots is that half of my family (sister, brother-in-law, nephew and his family, and one grandson) are big Patriots fans.  So this year’s Super Bowl was a dream come true; a game of significant rivalry between two of my family’s favorite teams.  It could not be more exciting!

     No true Eagles fan can ever watch an Eagles game without being nervous and anxious.  So many times the Eagles have lost the game in the last few minutes or even in the last few seconds.  And the Patriots, with their quarterback, Tom Brady, were notorious for last minute wins.  So this game was destined to be a nail-biter…and it was.

     Miraculously, the Eagles held on to win.  Their first Super Bowl win!!  What joy it brought to all of us who have rooted for them all these years.  And what fun to be able to tease those family members who were rooting for the Patriots.  It made for a memorable day!

     What does it mean to be a fan?  The word is supposedly derived from the word, “fanatic”.  And it seems to be appropriate since most fans are “fanatical” about their team.  Many who are not sports fans often do not understand why people get so passionate about their sports teams.  To them, it is just a game.  While true that it is just a game, it goes beyond that for any true fan.  It becomes personal, an extension of the passion that one develops for a team and the players.  It is true that win or lose, life will go on.  But life without passion for a sports team would be dull and boring.  

     I hope you develop a passion for something.  It does not have to be a sports team, but maybe a hobby or your profession.  Having passion in your life ignites a spark that adds such enjoyment to being alive.  So, be passionate and keep that spark present in you throughout your life.  You will not be disappointed!

Fly Eagles Fly!

    

Love

Love is our true destiny.

We do not find the meaning of life 

by ourselves alone - we find it with another.

~ Thomas Merton ~

Happy Valentine's Day

The Donut

     On this Fastnacht Day, I am reminded of a billboard I would see when as a child I would travel to Philadelphia via the Ben Franklin Bridge. It read:

   "As you ramble on through life, whatever be your goal, keep your eye upon the donut and not upon the hole."

      It reminded me to always focus on the positive things in life (the donut) and not on the negative things (the hole). 

                                                      Happy Fastnacht Day!

Character and Reputation

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow.

The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.

~ Abraham Lincoln ~

Happy Birthday, Mr. Lincoln!

Afraid to Fail?

     I think the big thing is don't be afraid to fail.  I think in our society today, Instagram, Twitter, it's a highlight reel. It's all the good things. And then when you look at it, when you think like, Wow, when you have a rough day, 'My life's not as good as that,' you think you're failing.  Failure is a part of life.  It's a part of building character and growing. Without failure, who would you be?  I wouldn't be up here if I hadn't fallen thousands of times and made mistakes.

     We all are human; we all have weaknesses, and I think throughout this, it's been important to be able to share that and be transparent.  I know when I listen to people speak and they share their weaknesses, I'm listening because it resonates.

     So I'm not perfect.  I'm not Superman.  I might be in the NFL;  I might have just won a Super Bowl, but, hey, we still have daily struggles, I still have daily struggles. And that's where my faith comes in; that's where my family comes in.

     I think when you look at a struggle in your life, just know that's just an opportunity for your character to grow. And that's just been the message. Simple. If something's going on in your life and you're struggling?  Embrace it, because you're growing.

~ Nick Foles ~

Quarterback

Philadelphia Eagles

Never Be Disappointed

Blessed is he that expects nothing,

for he shall never be disappointed.

~ Benjamin Franklin ~

Keep Your Mind Young

Anyone who stops learning is old,

whether at twenty or eighty.

Anyone who keeps learning stays young.

The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.

~ Henry Ford ~

Until Its Done

It always seems impossible

until its done.

~ Nelson Mandela ~

Winning

It takes a lot of people to make a winning team.

Everybody's contribution is important.

~ Gary David Goldberg ~

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Eagles!!

The Game of Life

The game of life is a lot like football.

You have to tackle your problems,

block your fears, and score your points

when you get the opportunity.

~ Lewis Grizzard ~

Go Eagles!!

A Habit

Winning is a habit.

Unfortunately, so is losing.

~ Vince Lombardi ~