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In life we are to lift up others;
not push them down.
In life we
are to open our hands to those in need;
not to clutch our hands in fists of distrust.
In life we are to lend a helping hand to make loads lighter;
not use heavy hands to hold others back.
In life we are to be messengers of peace, signs of joy;
not Chicken Little portents of gloom-n-doom.
In life we are to enjoy, to savor, to remember, to reflect;
not to overlook, to forget, to ignore, to reject.
In life we are to seek conscious awareness;
not doze in the doldrums of half-awake.
In life we are to dare mighty things;
not to fear things gravely.
In life we are to show up, stand up, step forward and speak up;
not to cringe in fear, choosing to sit down, to step back,
allowing the voices of silence to speak so loudly.
In life we are to exercise proper stewardship of earth's
resources;
not pillage the heritage of future generations.
In life we are to move forward through forgiveness;
not grind to a halt mired in bitterness and resentment.
In life we are to be wacky, weird, and wonderful in our own
unique God-given way; not to be staid-n-proper lemmings, stuck
on life's treadmill.
In life we are to reach, to stretch, and to soar;
not to slink in fear, held back by mistrust and doubt.
In life we are to realize: "I am a remarkable
Somebody!";
not listen to other's jabs: "You're a Nobody, an Everybody,
an Anybody."
In life we are to comprehend, "I am worthwhile";
not tremble with feelings of worthlessness.
In life we are to create, to laugh, and to live life nobly;
not to despair, to moan, or to live life less.
Fr. Brian
began collecting quotations, anecdotes and stories in 1977 as a
form of journal-writing therapy, which blossomed into a fruitful
hobby. Over the years he has compiled an anthology in excess of
30 hand-written journals of quotations and ten composition books
of stories. From this collection he edits "Apple
Seeds," a monthly quoteletter of motivation and inspiration
for students, faculty, and a growing mailing list. To
review the online version of Apple Seeds and additional works of
Fr. Brian go to appleseeds.org.
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