Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul Daily Inspirations (Chicken Soup for the Soul) (30 page)

Christine Learmonth

A true friend never gets in your way–unless you happen to be going down.

Anonymous

Footnotes for Life

J
ULY
13

F
orgiveness is not about weakness. It’s about freedom and strength. The strong and courageous face the reality that forgiveness needs to happen for their own sakes more than for the sake of the ones who caused the pain. Forgiveness says, “I am not responsible to seek my own justice. I choose to let life’s consequences and the Almighty God deal with you.” Then the forgiver steps forward in life, having removed the chains that held her to the ones who caused the pain. Neither they, nor the past, can harm her any longer.

Stephanie Ziebarth

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.

Philo of Alexandria

Footnotes for Life

J
ULY
14

W
hen we let go of the energy it takes to hold on to anger, blame and resentment, we have the energy to get our own needs met. Feeling all the feelings and forgiving someone else is a gift we give to ourselves. It’s called serenity.

SharonWegscheider-Cruse

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Mahatma Gandhi

Footnotes for Life

J
ULY
15

T
he process of self-transformation is not a ten-yard dash, but a one-hundred-fifty mile run. Patience makes the journey possible. It keeps you cool and calm. So pace yourself. Self-confidence is to know your way around yourself so instinctively that you always have a strength to draw on. Somewhere inside, from the stillness, you can always find something to meet your need.

Brahma Kumaris
World Spiritual University

Not repeating your mistakes is a form of progress.

Brahma Kumaris

Footnotes for Life

J
ULY
16

T
oday I will learn something new. I will open my mind to new ways of looking at the same old thing. I will intervene in my habitual, hypnotic patterns of thought that keep me doing the same thing over and over again. I will recognize that if I am going to feel truly alive I need to bring my renewed self to each day. Though my body will grow old, my brain can stay young and flexible through new learning.

Tian Dayton

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 yourmind young.

Henry Ford

Footnotes for Life

J
ULY
17

S
ometimesourbodiesfailus.Andifourspiritsfailustoo,the worldisfullofbravepeoplefromwhomwecangrabahand-ful of courage.When Iwas very ill, I receivedweekly intra-venoustreatmentsforalmosttwoyears. Somewhereinthemiddle, Ilostmycourage.Onedaythesearchforahealthyveinbecametoo painful. Ipushedtheneedleawayandcried.Ayounggirlofabout ten,whohadbattledcancerallherlife,smiledatmeand,liftingher T-shirt,showedmetheholethathadbeencutintoherabdomenso that she could receive her treatments throughapermanentplasticport.Thenshe put her hand, so small and soft, onmine andsaid,“Youcantakeit.”AndIdid.

Nancy Burke

There is strength in knowing that it can be borne, although it tears.

Emily Dickinson

Footnotes for Life

J
ULY
18

D
uring a traumatic period in my life, I learned to elevate my spirits daily by concentrating on finding some reason to feel grateful. Many times I would start with someone else’s life. I was always grateful that my children were healthy. I began to write down the blessings. The list grew, and as it grew, my health seemed to improve and my enthusiasm for life began to return. I became aware of the genius of a Creator who designed our bodies, the intricacies of a respiratory system, our amazing hearts.

Now, I am happy to say that I am amazed at just how many miracles it takes to make an average day.

Nancy Eckerson

Life is just a blank slate, what matters most is what you write on it.

Christine Frankland

Footnotes for Life

J
ULY
19

T
here were times I thought that I would never survive the tension, the stress, the unresolved problems and unsatisfying relationships. But I look back and know that I have survived. I see that I remove myself from tense situations by letting go of the responsibility I feel to change other people and events. Ironically, serenity surrounds me if I don’t avoid the barriers of over-responsibility that are thrown in my path. These barriers are my challenge, now and forever, and I accept that as a lesson in life. In challenging myself to conquer them, I reach new heights, new realms of self-determination and inner strength.

Rokelle Lerner

I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.