Month: September 2020

Two Priests

     Two priests decided to go to Hawaii on vacation. They determined to make this a real vacation by not wearing anything that would identify them as clergy. As soon as the plane landed, they headed for a store and bought some really outrageous shorts, shirts, sandals, sunglasses, etc.

     The next morning, they went to the beach, dressed in their “tourist” garb. They were sitting on beach chairs, and enjoying a drink, the sunshine and the scenery when a great-looking blonde in a bikini came walking straight towards them. They couldn’t help but stare. As the blonde passed them, she smiled, nodded and said, “Good morning, Father,” “Good morning, Father,” addressing each of them individually, then passed on by. They were both stunned. “How in the world did she know we’re priests?” they asked each other.

     The next day, they went back to the store, bought even more outrageous outfits. Once again the two priests in disguise settled on the beach in their chairs to enjoy the sunshine, etc. After a while, the same gorgeous blonde, taking her sweet time, came walking toward them and greeted them individually with “Good morning, Father,” and started to walk away.

     One of the priests couldn’t stand it any longer and said, “Just a minute young lady.” “Yes?” she replied. “We are priests, and proud of it, but I have to know, how in the world did you know we are priests?” Replied the young woman: “Father, it’s me, Sister Angela.”

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

The Healing Process

     “Sadness is like a wound to the soul.  When we cry, it helps to wash away the pain, and makes it possible for the healing process to begin.”

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 61)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications

The Choice is up to You

     “There are three things you can do when confronted with a problem: you can complain about it, you can accept it, or you can fix it and move on.  The choice is up to you.”

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 61)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications

Just a Pilgrim

     A rich man stopped to visit the Teacher in his modest hut.  He was astonished to see that such a famous man had but a wood table, some simple chairs, and a few books in his main room.  “Teacher,” the man asked, “where is your furniture?”

     “I might ask the same question of you,” the Teacher replied.

     “I have no furniture because I am just a pilgrim.  I am just passing through.”

     The Teacher smiled, “So am I.”

From, Stories for the Journey, by William R. White.

Source: http://seattlestorytellers.org/ssg/inTheWind/1990-Vol-13.4-InTheWind.pdf

The Final Analysis

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.

Do good today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be good enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is all between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.

— “The Final Analysis” is a version of the “Paradoxical Commandments” by Kent M. Keith

Source: There’s a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem by Wayne W. Dyer

Between Stimulus and Response

     “Between stimulus and response there is a space.  In that space is our power to choose our response.  In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

     “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.

     “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

– Viktor Frankl*

Although this quote is most often credited to Viktor Frankl, its source is actually found in the forward to the book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl’s Principles for Discovering Meaning in Life and Work, by Stephen Covey (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2010).

Source: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/02/18/response/