Inspiration

 

Disabled girl playing soccerBurdens become light when cheerfully borne.

- Ovid

 

 

Time and thinking tame the strongest grief.

- English proverb

 

 

There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief.

- Aeschylus

 

 

There is nothing in life so difficult that it cannot be overcome. This faith can move mountains. It can change people. It can change the world. You can survive all the great storms in your life.

- Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

 

 

If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse; however if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.

- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

 

 

In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.

- Ann Landers

 

 

Upon our children - how they are taught - rests the fate - or fortune - of tomorrow's world.

- B.C. Forbes

 

 

If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm.

- Bruce Barton

 

 

That which we persist in doing becomes easier - not that the nature of the task has changed, but our ability to do has increased.

- Emerson

 

 

Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in your schools are the work of many generations. All this is put in your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it, and one day faithfully hand it on to your children.

- Albert Einstein

 

 

Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.

- William Yeats

 

 

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

 

Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

 

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

 

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

 

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

 

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

 

And we could never fly...

 

- Author unknown

 

 

What You Thought

 

You thought you were happily smiling at your child from a hard stadium seat or a hot packed auditorium, but your child looked at your face and saw approval of him and joy in what he was doing.

 

You thought that you were just patting him on the back or on the head, or just ruffling his hair, but your child cherished the warm loving touch and his heart was brightened.

 

You thought you were reading a bedtime story with all the funny and scary voices, but your child enjoyed the fact you read every word even though he had heard them a hundred times before.

 

You thought you were letting your child help paint the house even though the paint got kind of runny and drippy in places, but your child knew that you were working together as a family and felt a sense of accomplishment as a family.

 

You thought you were singing silly songs or counting the cows on a long boring trip, but your child learned that it was fun being together no matter where you were.

You thought you were spending a few minutes of your time by throwing a ball in the backyard or baking some cookies, but your child, who realized that your time is precious, knew you were investing it in him.

 

You thought that you asked your child's opinion about something that wasn't too important, but your child thought you asked because his opinions and thoughts were important.

 

You thought you were being a good host by inviting your child's friends in for a cool snack on a warm summer day, but your child knew that his friends were important to you and always welcome in your home.

 

You thought the tears in your eyes went unnoticed when your child accomplished an important goal in his life, but your child knew that he was deeply imbedded in your heart and you sensed his accomplishment.

 

You thought that the refrigerator was as good of a place as any for hanging all the art work and "well done" papers that came home from school, But your child felt important when he came home from school each day with something to show you and tack up in his personal hall of fame.

 

You thought you gave your child some simple chore or job to do and told him, "Well done", with a smile when he did it, but your child learned responsibility and began to realize he could tackle even tougher things.

 

You thought you were helping a troubled restless child get some sleep by fixing a cup of warm milk, but your child felt that you were opening your heart around a kitchen table and making all the problems a lot smaller. You thought the vacation wasn't much of a success because the fish didn't bite and the sun didn't shine, but your child still remembers everything that happened and still laughs at all of the funny parts.

 

You thought you were just pointing out the words in the church hymn book with your child's finger as he tried to sing along, but your child learned that singing praises to God in worship was important.

 

You thought you were just giving him a quick hug at a special moment or "just because", but your child carried it with him for a long time, because what you really said was, "I'm proud of you", or "I love you."

 

You thought you were just giving him a little kiss on the cheek to tell him good bye as he left for school, But your child felt warm and loved because he knew there would be another one waiting for him when he got home.

 

Come to think of it, there are a lot of times when parents really are misunderstood!

 

- Author Unknown