From the Observatory

It is unlikely that America's experiment in democracy will succeed if humanity's experiment in civility doesn't.

You know that evil is winning when it has you believing that your differences are merely political. 

We learn from history that lofty achievement takes dedicated perseverance -- and so does small achievement.

It is noteworthy that the historical document most dedicated to saving the world says to no one, "Go forth and save the world."  It says only, "Love thy neighbor."

No person of sensibility wishes to be praised to their face.  It is the rare instance of where hearsay is the more trustworthy medium. 

Wisdom, Anyone?

 There is a continuing war between the mind's aspirations and the body's desire for comfort, the former striving to make you exceptional, the latter determined to make you like everyone else. 

The great enemies of exceptionalism are food, clothing, shelter and health care -- the Four Horseman of the Everyday.

It must be admitted that people who spend their lives acquiring material things have the best yard sales.

I wonder sometimes if anyone has ever found true happiness in a comparison.

You cannot teach humility, but you can foster a self-esteem that displays itself as humility.

Most of what children learn from their parents does not come from the spoken word.

Tips For Getting On With It

 At some point in life it's your last chance, although it's never quite your last shot at your last chance.

Ever ask yourself what you might do differently if you had tomorrow to live over again?

You cannot change tomorrow by changing yesterday, That is what today is for.

Never act for "a whole list of reasons."  Rarely does a compelling reason occur as part of a list.

There are times when you just have to look in a mirror and say, "I will if you will."

And, finally, never think that something that tests your patience is going to test just some of it.

A Stroll Through The Archives

There's nothing like someone saying, "You know better than that" to make you wonder what you ever did to make them think so.

  I've learned this about making a good first impression -- that the more obvious the attempt, the better.

If I choose to believe that we're all God's children, it's because I'm darn sure it's all or none.

A phrase you hear a lot these days is, "You're overthinking this," which, to be honest, is not something I've noticed to be that widespread a problem.

I don't know if love conquers all, but it conquers the hard part, and a little forgiveness usually does for the rest.

******

What skeptic has not, in the dark of despair

Or the shadow of anguish and grief,

Sent out from his heart a questing prayer

To the God of his disbelief?

Me And My Shadow

 

How do you prove to a skeptic that God exists?  How do you prove to your shadow that the sun exists?

This sun you speak of, my shadow asks,

 This invisible light in the skies,

Why does it never reveal itself?

Why does it hide from my eyes?

This thing you say created me, 

This lantern somewhere above,

Why do I never feel its warmth?

Where, for me, is its love?

How to my shadow do I respond?

How, when the day is done,

To a shadow vanishing into the night

Do you prove there exists a sun?

Of Life, Love and Recollection

Perhaps, because life is but a moment, it is insignificant, or, perhaps, because life is but a moment, it is momentous.

You spend years learning what's important and one heart-stopping moment learning what's more important.

It is said that you only get one life.  Actually, you get only one birth and one death.  How many lives you squeeze in is up to you.

 

Love can be a conversation about nothing, or it can be a quiet comfort in each other's presence that is about everything.

What we see in an old family photo is not just a still moment in time but a moment when there was still time.

Ah, nostalgia!  We live our days in the glare of the sun and recall them in the glow of the moon.

from Reflections

As Deep As I Get

There are things the human mind cannot comprehend, among them the boundlessness of possibility.  Only by accepting this do we free our hopes from the limits of our understanding. Why confine our consolations to some narrow theology when every miracle we could wish for lies in the unknowability that is God?  The answer to the eternal "Why" lies in the three words, "We Don't Know" and in those words lies all hope.

If there's one thing you learn in a long life, it is that God will eventually do what is necessary to capture your attention.  

Religion and science have this in common, that each believes in a mystical, unseen Trinity, invisibly controlling the universe.  For religion, it is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  For science, it is Dark Mass, Dark Energy and Dark Flow.