My POETRY PAGE
YESTERDAY
Yesterday is History
Tomorrow is a Mystery
Today is a Gift
That's why we call it
"The Present"
--unknown
AGELESS
Youth is not a time of life--it is a state of mind.
Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years;
People grow old only by deserting their ideals.
Years wrinkle the skin,
But to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.
Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair...
These are the long, long years that bow the head
And turn the growing spirit back to dust.
Whether seven or seventy, there is in every human's heart
The love of wonder, the sweet amazement at the stars
And at star-like things and thoughts,
The undaunted challenge of events,
The unfailing childlike appetite for what's next,
The anticipation of the joy to come,
And innocent enjoyment playing the game of life.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt;
As young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear;
As young as your hope, as old as your despair.
--adapted from Sunshine Magazine
TODAY
Today I make a pact with myself to live in a different way.
I vow to find some bit of happiness in every day. To live
each day as a better Soul.
I will look for the good and light in every person. I will
strive to feel compassion (not sympathy) for everyone I
come in contact with. I will let go of past pains and allow
the wounds to heal. I will find a lesson learned for every
hurt, and be glad that it happened so that I might grow. I
will not seek revenge.
I will become more responsible for my own actions and
happiness. I will love others enough for them to hurt me,
and if they do, I will see the pain as a sign of living. I will
learn to embrace the hurt as proof that I am a soul capable
of true love, and rejoice in that part of me. I will take away
the power of others to destroy my happiness. No amount
of hurt will lower me when I know that the pain is evidence
of something good that I hold within myself. However, I do
hold the power to remove myself from painful circumstances if I
cannot change them, even as I am filled with regret.
I resolve to think before I act. To consider the effect that
my actions will have on others and endeavor to cause as
little pain as I can. I will give as much light and joy to the
world as my spirit will allow. I will smile more often to
strangers, say hello to more people that I pass. I will meet
others gazes and confirm that I have seen them, and that
my day was better for having done so.
I will find all that makes me happy, because I have actively
sought it. And at the end of this life's journey I will move
on to the next phase with the hopes that if I sit in some
kind of judgment (from myself or an outside force) my
every past day will show just how deserving of divine
acceptance a soul can be.
--This was taken from another web page (with the addition of one sentence),
for which, regrettably, I could not find a bookmark. If you recognize it, please
e-mail me at: juice@sky.net
so that I can give the proper credit. Thank you.