“Charity is an exercise in selflessness.”

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 56)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications

     “When you give to someone, don’t expect anything in return.  And when you are given something, always do your best to return the favor.”

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 56)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications

     In your day to day life, remember that we are all works-in-progress.  Some people are lost.  Confused.  Ignorant.  Trapped in a world of ego and self-indulgence.  Some people, especially those who are insecure, want to control everything in their lives, including the lives of those around them.

     Try to be patient.  Try to be kind.  Be lenient and understanding.  We’re all at different points in our journey.  Show the same love that others have shown you when you stumbled off of the path.

     What goes around comes around.  We all need a little leniency from time to time.

Right now, you have to choose.

Will you be happy or sad?

Peaceful or stressful?

Positive or negative?

You must choose, right now, what you will be.

And in another minute, or ten minutes, or hour,

You will have to choose again.

This is what life is.

Over and over and over again.

And for some reason,

We have a hard time learning this.

And hardly anyone teaches us this.

And despite moments of clarity,

We forget this.

We forget

How powerful we are.

How strong we can be.

How happy we can be.

How happy we are

Right now.

     “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

– Reinhold Niebuhr

Source: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/reinhold_niebuhr_100884

     “Die when I may, I want it said by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.”

– Abraham Lincoln

 Source: http://iperceptive.com/quote/155.html

     A brother in Scete happened to commit a fault, and the elders assembled, and sent for Abbot Moses to join them.  He, however, did not want to come.  The priest sent him a message, saying: Come, the community of the brethren is waiting for you.  So he arose and started off.  And taking with him a very old basket full of holes, he filled it with sand, and carried it behind him.  The elders came out to meet him, and said: What is this, Father?  The elder replied: My sins are running out behind me, and I do not see them, and today I come to judge the sins of another!  They, hearing this, said nothing to the brother but pardoned him.

     One of the elders was asked what was humility, and he said: If you forgive a brother who has injured you before he asks pardon.

 

– Thomas Merton, The Wisdom of the Desert: Sayings from the Desert Fathers of the Fourth Century

     “Love is a tricky investment … you might not get back what you put in, but it’s always worth the risk.”

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 56)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications

Children’s Letters to God
These charming items are often circulated as an anonymously written piece; but they are actually excerpts from a lovely book by Stuart Hample & Eric Marshall, Children’s Letters to God (Workman Publishing, 1991 and reprints); here are a few sample messages:

Dear God, I read the Bible. What does begat mean? Nobody will tell me. Love, Allison.

Dear God, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don’t You keep the ones You already have now? Jane.

Dear God, Maybe Cain and Abel would not have killed each other if they had their own rooms. That’s what my Mom did for me and my brother. Larry.

Dear God, If You watch me in church on Sunday, I’ll show You my new shoes. Mickey.

Dear God, I bet it is very hard to love everyone in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I’m having a hard time loving all of them. Nan.

Dear God, Are You really invisible or is it just a trick? Lucy.

Dear God, Did You mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident? Norma.

Dear God, I went to this wedding and they kissed right in the church. Is that OK? Neil.

Dear God, Did You really mean “do unto others as they do unto you”? Because if You did, then I’m going to get my brother good. Darla.

Dear God, Thank You for the baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy. Joyce.

Dear God, I think about You sometimes, even when I’m not praying. Elliot.

Dear God, My brother told me about being born but it doesn’t sound right. They’re just kidding, aren’t they? Marsha.

Dear God, I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset You made on Tuesday. That was cool. Eugene.

Source: http://www.enlightened-spirituality.org/Spiritual_Humor.html

     “When you’re looking for the strength to carry on, think about what’s most important in your life, and it will help to carry the load.”

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 56)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications