U TAKE MY BREATH AWAY

SoundOn

"It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache
for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't
interest me how old you are, I want to know if you will risk looking like a
fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive. It doesn't
interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have
touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's
betrayals, or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I
want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to
hide it or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or
your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the
tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be
realistic, to remember the limitations of being human. It doesn't interest me
if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can dissappoint
another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusations of betrayal
and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore
trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it's not pretty,
every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence. I want to
know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge
of the lake and still shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!". It doesn't
interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know
if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to
the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children. It doesn't
interest me to know who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if
you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back. It
doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to
know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away. I want to
know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you
keep in the empty moments."

The ESSENCE Of Things

--------------------

You're not just an age,
Or an hourly wage.
You're more than your e-mail address.

You're not just some size,
Or the shape of your thighs,
Or the make of the car
you possess.

You're not just your PIN,
Or the shade of your skin,
Or the place you were born,
or the date.

You're not your IQ,
Or the width of your shoe,
Your zip code, your height,
or your weight.

You can't be defined
By your zodiac sign,
Or the lines in the palm
of your hand.

It's not who you know
Or the money you owe,
Your blood type or cereal brand.

You're much too complex
For just race, creed or sex,
You're wonderfully
multi-dimensional.

You're one-of-a-kind
With a fabulous mind
And a spirit
that's quite unconventional!

That makes you a treasure
Which cannot be measured
With numbers or checks
on a chart.

You're truly tremendous,
Amazing, stupendous!
Believe it with all of your heart!

*

WORDS CAN HURT... WORDS CAN HEAL

And how they effect your health & your future happiness & success ...
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words
will never hurt me." Well, this old saying isn't exactly
true-because harsh words sure can hurt your feelings!
Just as a skylark touches our hearts with the sweetness of it's song,
let our words be pure and kind. Let them soothe and heal, but never harm.

Words can Heal
There was once a saint who was giving a discourse to a huge crowd of people in India. After he had finished talking, a young mother brought her baby to him to ask for healing as the child was seriously ill. He simply spoke a few words of blessing over the child. A man suddenly stood up in the crowd and shouted, you can't just do that. How can a few words make any difference to this sick child? The teacher looked at him and then proceeded to hurl abuse and insults at him. The man reacted by flying into a rage and ran towards the teacher with the intention of hitting him. Just before he got to him, the teacher raised his hand and said, 'Stop! Do you not see how my words have had the power to make you so angry? Why then should they not also have the power to heal? Words can heal or harm and that is why we should speak few words, and when we do speak, we should make them kind and uplifting. If you cut others with your words, you cut yourself, and where is the wisdom in that?'
The man understood and fell at his feet in reverence.

*

Thank You For Your Visit

John