To laugh is to risk appearing the fool,
To weep is to risk being called sentimental.
To reach out to another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk showing your true self.
To place your ideas and your dreams before the crowd is to risk being called naive.
To love is to risk not being loved in return,
To live is to risk dying,
To hope is to risk despair,
To try is to risk failure
But risks must be taken, because the greatest risk in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow or love.
Chained by his certitude, he is a slave; he has forfeited his freedom.
Only the person who risks is truly free.
An inspirational piece of writing by Janet Rand.
Image courtesy of Master isolated images /FreeDigitalPhotos.net
"Lord, You have always given bread for the coming day; and though I am poor, tonight I believe.
Lord, You have always given strength for the coming day; and though I am weak, tonight I believe.
Lord, You have always given peace for the coming day; and though of anxious heart, tonight I believe.
Lord, You have always kept me safe in trials; and now, tried as I am, tonight I believe.
Lord, You have always marked the road for the coming day; and though it may be hidden, tonight I believe.
Lord, You have always lightened this darkness of mine; and though the night is here, tonight I believe.
Lord, You have always spoken when time was ripe; and though you be silent now, tonight I believe."
- A Celtic evening prayers
Picture source - self - Scottish sunset...
"May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers,
half-truths and superficial relationships,
so that we will live deeply in our hearts.
May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression
and exploitation of people and the earth,
so that we will work for justice, equity and peace.
May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer,
so that we will reach out our hands
to comfort them and change their pain to joy.
And may God bless us with the foolishness to think that
we can make a difference in our world,
so that we will do the things which others say cannot be done."
- Franciscan blessing prayer
Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime;
therefore, we are saved by hope.
Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history;
therefore, we are saved by faith.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone;
therefore, we are saved by love.
No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as from our own;
therefore, we are saved by the final form of love, which is forgiveness.
Reinhold Niebuhr in 'The Irony of American History'
'Friendship
creates hope, hope defeats fear, and we can handle any future so long
as we do it together, made stronger not weaker by our differences.'
- The
Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks
Comes the Dawn
After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul.
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to understand that kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats with your head held high and eyes opened,
With the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.
You learn to build your roads on today
Because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans,
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much,
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers,
And you learn that you really can endure,
That you really are strong.
And you really do have worth.
And you learn and learn...
With every goodbye comes the dawn.
~ Veronica A. Shoffstall
