They Have Been Tried

"I personally favor a religion that worships a just God who rewards moral conduct.  As for religions that worship a proud God who rewards mere allegiance, they have been tried, and the result is what you see."

Words

Words Pilate might have said to Christ, "You are charged with unlawful doing unto others as you would have them do unto you." 

Words you don't wish to have said at your memorial service:  "He was a person who, if he chased a butterfly, it would take him to the office."

Words picked up from outer space:  "Twinkle, twinkle, little star..."

Words from a graveside ceremony:  "Before I begin, please silence your cellphones."  Voice from inside the casket:  "Sorry."

Words overheard on Judgment Day:  "To begin with, I want to thank you for your service."

Words overheard at my house:  "I don't crave recognition.  I like recognition.  I crave chocolate."

The Beauty of Forgiveness

"The beauty of forgiveness is that it requires only a forgiving party.  It does not require a party worthy of forgiveness." 

"To forgive the forgivable is merely justice, an accommodation of a reasonable mind.  To forgive the unforgivable is true forgiveness, an accommodation of a merciful heart.

Sparsely Sage...Rosemary...and Rhyme

 

"You only get one life, but you can't get through it as only one person."

"Of Time and Space I don't know much, 

But this I'm pretty sure of --

That both are things it doesn't hurt

To give someone a bit more of.

The Voice of Experience

You come to realize this about the satisfaction of growing old together -- that it is entirely a triumph of "together" over "growing old." 

Some New, Some Old

 There are few opportunities in life more exciting than meeting a beautiful person who has not yet been sufficiently informed of the fact.

What person of faith does not pray for certainty, as if the world needs fewer people of faith and more people of certainty.


A key element in the art of communication is the perfectly-worded glance.

You can look at it as traffic, or you can look at it as a convocation of people who, with varying degrees of resolution and determination, got themselves up, dressed and out the door this morning.

"Morning Commute" - vikingprogress.com

I have always enjoyed expressing myself through music.  My instrument?  My two hands applauding the band.


I have this dream.  It's Judgment Day and the Lord says to the assembled hopefuls, "I see what you have done to planet Earth.  Why exactly again would I want that done to Heaven?"


One thing I've observed, both in myself and others, is that you can be as good a person as a child mistakenly thinks you are.


The trouble with self-love is that it doesn't last, and rarely do you remain friends after the break-up.

Kind Words About Politics

"Political party -- where people of shared values form an allegiance and then proceed to sacrifice their values to the allegiance."

"A political party is like any other conspiracy  -- the people it conspires against think they are part of it."

"One reason for hope, I suppose, is that of the Seven Deadly Sins, only two -- Envy and Greed -- have organized politically."

A Speculation

 "What is the Book of Genesis, after all, but the story of how God created artificial intelligence, an intelligence that falls as far short of being divine as our robots fall short of being human."

Ah, Romance!

"We crave romance, but if life were truly romantic, we would all be ships passing in the night.  Fortunately, life is real, so we meet in an elevator." 

Ol' Blue Eyes

 With apologies to Paul Anka and the co-composers of "My Way", here are some alternative  lyrics I think Frank might not have objected to. 

   Regrets,

I've had a few,

A fling or two

                       I paid the price for,                       

The odd romance,

The crazy chance

I spun the wheel,

I rolled the dice for.

   What is a man?

 What's he to be? 

Is he some pawn

Of Destiny?

Or does he get

To choose his song,

To get it right

Or get it wrong.

In Case You Were Wondering...

 

60 Plus Workout Motivation: What Makes Robert Brault So Great? youtu.be

I'm sharing with you today a new YouTube video by my internet friend Rick Lewis, a man of many talents -- photographer, artist, business and technical advisor and fitness coach, to name a few.  He is now producing a series of youTube fitness workouts, one of which features some quotes of mine that Rick has found personally motivating. 

While the title is certainly extravagant, and I would not have chosen it myself, Rick is a big, strong fellow and not a person to argue with.  I will manage somehow to live with it while retaining my humility.  (smile).

I will be adding this link to my sidebar.  Please do take a look when you have a moment.

~~rb

   

To Care Or Not To Care

"Sometimes love needs a rest from caring and so endures for an intolerable few hours the guilt of not caring."

"If only you could stop caring, or if only you could go back in time and not start , which might be easier." 

"You can be a caring person and experience life as a series of joys and sorrows, or you can be an uncaring person and experience life as a string of annoyances."

Pot Shots At An Easy Target

"Say what you want about marriage, it's still the best known cure for unnecessary conversation."

Marriage:  a state of bliss in which if one partner dies unexpectedly, the other is the prime suspect.

Marriage: a relationship so intimate that your spouse can finish your sentences, although not usually the way you would.

Midweek Musing

 "Where shall I find my happiness today -- in my memories, in my dreams, in my appreciation of the moment?  That last one would be a novel idea."

Know Thyself

 "I've learned this about myself -- that beneath my carefree, superficial exterior lies a thoughtful inner spirit that just wants to party." 

Thoughts From Our Resident Know-It-All

 "To know what makes another person tick is to have information they would give a lot to know."

"What those born to wealth invariably have more of than those who have earned their wealth is pride in the achievement."

"There is almost no advantage in life that people are not willing to risk totally rather than give up partially."

"It is always those who have already won the game who believe that it should now have rules."