a friend (author unknown)

What is a friend?  I'll tell you.

It is a person with whom you dare to be yourself.

Your soul can go naked with him.

He seems to ask you to put on nothing,

only to be what you really are.

When you are with him,

you do not have to be on your guard.

You can say what you think, so long as it is genuinely you.

He understands those contradictions in your nature

that cause others to misjudge you.

With him you breathe freely,

you can avow your little vanities and envies and absurdities

and in opening them up to him they are dissolved 

on the white ocean of his loyalty.

He understands.

You can weep with him,

laugh with him,

pray with him,

through and underneath it all he sees,

knows and loves you.

A Friend, I repeat, is one with whom 

YOU DARE TO BE YOURSELF. 

 After a While
by Veronica Shoffstall (from a friend)   After a while you learn the subtle difference between

holding a hand and chaining a soul, 

And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning and

company doesn't mean security,

And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts

and presents aren't promises,

And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open, 

with the grace of an adult,

not the grief of a child,

And you learn to build all your roads on today

because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans.

After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if

you get too much.

So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, 

instead of waiting for someone to bring your flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure...

That you really are strong,

And you really do have worth.

wise words...

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress ...Mohandas Gandhi

 

words to live by...

“Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh

~~thank you Georgina @ Olive Me, for letting me copy what you posted.

honoring MLK

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr

friendly observation

"Grey is a problem, grey is fuzzy, grey is the matter that must be defined.. so the black and white can work together. Logic.

You, yes you... are a rainbow of colors. You I'm guessing love the grey. You love to bounce between warm shades and cool shades. You eat up the colors of life, then ask "why can't everyone see all the colors?"

That's what I see."

a snippet of birthday advice from myself...aka: recycled thoughts (10/29/09)

So I promise myself to spend more precious time smiling and expressing my love and sharing my heart.  Super simple, in the company of most.  Small challenge with others.  but hey, their life is also set up for them, and they also have free will to choose their reactions to me.  So be it.  Love me or leave me.  You choose.

another blogger's advice

Maybe sometimes you have to let go of who you are in order to remember who you are. Clinging seems counterproductive.