My Take on Michael Jordan’s quoteThe key to success in any endeavor is picking yourself up and starting all over again. Wait that may be a lyric from a song…
It’s still a good plan for 2020 or an year.
About the graphicThis meme was created by Edie Melson. She is a fellow member of American Christian Fiction Writers and an outstanding photographer, as you can see, and one of the most generous, loving individuals I know. She posts memes on her blog for others to share and use. This is one of my holiday favorites.
I’m not sure who the Charlotte Carpenter of the quote is. Sir Walter Scott’s wife and a UK singer came up with a Google search. I’m going with Charlotte Carpenter, wife of Sir Walter. What do you think?
Whichever one said it, it’s great advice for this time of year as we hustle and bustle shopping for the perfect gifts in anticipation of Christmas Day, don’t you think?
About the memeOn October 6, The University of Arizona ran a full page congratulations ad in the Houston Chronicle for the students, faculty and staff who participated in the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration. The group had received the 2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, which is the “Oscar of Science.”
Congratulations to all of them.
Their ad graphic was the first-ever image of a black hole taken by the collaboration group. This graphic is one I selected from a stock photo website to convey the idea of wonder.
The words immediately reminded me that without wonder very little would be accomplished in this world. Most often wonder translates into What if and discovery begins. Or, if you’re a writer like me, wonder and/or what ifs create plots and stories.
The important take-away is this: It doesn’t matter if you’re part of the some collaboration or simply sitting on a porch swing looking at the sky, never lose WONDER. Always look for unseen possibilities.
About the authorI had a high school English teacher who was very big on memorization. When we studied American poets, she made us memorize poems by Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, Walt Whitman, James Whitcomb Riley, and Edgar Allen Poe. I didn’t enjoy the assignments much back then. Now as words from the poems flow through my memory, I do.
Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is a favorite. When we lived where it actually snowed in the woods behind our house, I found myself reciting Frost’s poem often as I watched the snowflakes fall.
In the throes of that English homework to memorize all those poems and passages from Shakespeare, life passed slowly. I didn’t think the semester would ever be over. Like Frost, I can say in retrospection — life did go on.
And, I’d add that all those memorized words were not wasted.
About William PurkeyI ran across this quote in a The Passive Voice blog. Passive Guy always gives me food for thought with his blog posts where he shares blog site quotes along with a spattering of poetry.
In this blog he introduced me to William Purkey, author of this meme. Purkey was a public school teacher then Professor Emeritus of Counselor Education at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro who co-founded The International Alliance for Invitational Education to help educators foster human potential in educational settings. He authored a book titled Teaching Class Clowns. I wish I’d had that resource during my teaching years.
A different version of Purkey’s quote hangs off the lamp on my computer desk, a gift from a dear friend. Both versions carry the same meaning.
Work like you don’t need the money. Dance like no one is watching. Love like you have never been hurt.
I’m sure there are other versions that encourage us to live in the moment and that’s a good thing. Both quotes make me smile. How about you? Did you smile when you read Purkey’s quote?
About the graphicThis suspended leaf with green in the background is a perfect depiction of fall for those of us who live along the Gulf Coast. No beautiful mountains of color here. Just the occasional leaf floating to earth.
The quote is from Matt Lanza’s weather blog, Space City Weather. The full quote reads: “Autumn is really just a state of mind. In Houston it has to be because you certainly would never know it was just about autumn by stepping outside.”
And, indeed, we are having a very hot September. Our temperatures are in the 95+ range with heat indexes well over 100! To have a feel of fall at my house, I’m hauling fall decorations out and using fake fall foliage accents.
Years after things happen, whether we were part of the event or not, we recall and react on the anniversary. Even hearing those dates or seeing those dates can trigger memories.
And, of course, September 11 2001 Attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
Today is the eighteenth anniversary of that event.
I sat at home drinking coffee in our sun room with news on TV. I stared in horror as the second plane hit towers, watching the first building burn. I didn’t turn off TV for days filled with concern that my Army Reserve husband would have to go fight whatever evil had breached our borders.
I’m sure today will stir memories for those of us who lived through the event and the days following. Others will only imagine our memories through pictures like this.
No matter what date or anniversary triggers memories for you. Let’s remember Virgil’s quote used at Ground Zero.
Years ago this meme floated around in email then on other social media. I loved the elephant with the bird on his back cruising through the air. I ran across it the other day and had to share.
The quote resonated with me as much as the graphic. I found this on Edie Weinstein‘s website: “Edie discovered that the life path we traverse calls on us to become willing to be light-hearted and childlike, not taking ourselves too seriously.” Doesn’t that sound like a great life?
Think I’ll try to be more opti-mystic and focus on possibilities.
About the graphicBackground from Pexels free stock images. Image created by Martin Péchy
Elisabeth Elliot went home to glory in 2015. You can read about her amazing life here
She left behind a wealth of devotional material where she shared her godly wisdom and insight. One of her publications was a daily flip calendar titled Keep a Quiet Heart. I believe the flip calendar is out of publication now.I bought mine in 1997. My cherished copy sits on my kitchen window sill where I can read her thought for each day.
That’s where I found this quote. It’s just a true today as when she wrote it.
About the graphicThis is an original and my graphics are free goodies for you
Helen Mirren is a gifted actresses, who won an Oscar for playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006). There’s such truth in her words. Life is all about choices and the choices we make determine where our story will go.
