Thought For Thursday - Bacon

"Age appears to be best in four things,  - old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read."

- Francis Bacon

Thought For Thursday - Lincoln

"I have never had a policy. I have simply tried to do what seemed best each day, as each day came."

- Abraham Lincoln

Thought For Thursday - Anonymous

"Every mountain means at least two valleys."

- Anonymous

Thought For Thursday - Goethe

"One ought every day at least to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words."

- Goethe

Thought For Thursday - Confucius

"Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated."

- Confucius

Thought For Thursday - de L'Enclos

"That which is striking and beautiful is not always good, but that which is good is always beautiful."

- Ninon de L'Enclos

Thought For Thursday - Aristotle

All friendly feelings toward others

come from the friendly feelings

a person has for himself.

                 - Aristotle

Thought For Thursday - Smith

"Sometimes the path you're on is not as important as the direction you're heading" 

- Kevin Smith

Thought For Thursday - Blake

To see a world in a grain of sand

And a heaven in a wildflower:

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.

- William Blake

Thought For Thursday - Feather

"If you can't say no, you can't expect to live within your income"

- William Feather

Thought For Thursday - Furstenberg

"You're always with yourself, so you

might as well enjoy the company"

- Diane von Furstenberg

Thought For Thursday - Landers

They say Valentine's day is for lovers. It could also be for couples who woke up today on each other's nerves. Because if they really think about it, I bet they could find something they really like about the each other.

The following "Twelve Rules for a Happy Marriage" is from an Ann Landers column from many years ago.

1. Never both be angry at once.

2. Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire.

3. Yield to the wishes of the other as an exercise in self-discipline, if you can't think of a better reason.

4. If you have a choice between making yourself or your mate look good - choose your mate.

5. If you feel you must criticize, do so lovingly.

6. Never bring up a mistake of the past.

7. Neglect the whole world rather than each other.

8. Never let the day end without saying at least one complimentary thing to your life partner.

9. Never meet without an affectionate greeting.

10. When you've made a mistake, talk it out and ask for forgiveness.

11. Remember, it takes two to make an argument. The one who is wrong is the one who will be doing most    of the talking.

12. Never go to bed mad.

Thought For Thursday - January

January is national Thank You Month.

Thank you to those of you who take the time to read the posts in this blog. I feel a lot better thinking I'm "talking" to someone else besides just myself.

In the wake of the holiday season writing thank you notes and sending them via snail mail is becoming a novel way of expressing our gratitude. How often do you say thank you during an average day? If you don't get out much, do you say thank you to your significant other, or family members? How about saying thank you to your dog, or cat? Do your kids say thank you to you for the things you do for them? If they aren't, it might be a good idea to check your own habits.

Thought For Thursday - Death

Again there was another death in the family. Mom and I went to Owosso on Tuesday to attend the memorial of her nephew. I didn't know him that well.

As we were sitting in the church waiting for the memorial to start I was watching as people kept filing in the door. All the seats were taken, and there were people lined up standing in the back. I was thinking that my cousin sure did know a lot of people in his short 48 years.

I wondered how many people would attend my funeral. And then I remembered I wasn't going to have one. If I don't have time for my own funeral, I figured why would anyone else have the time. Mom had mentioned earlier in the day that she would like to have her funeral ahead of time so she could see who would attend. Oh, ...and she figured if she had it on a Saturday no one would have an excuse not to be there.

I looked around at the people who took time out of their day to say farewell. They would pay their respects, and then go their separate ways. Life would go on.

Death is all too common in this day and age. It seems to be everywhere. It is encoded in our genetic makeup; it's caused from environmental damage and diseases. Rarely does death happen from natural causes anymore. All too often we find it right around the corner or just next door.

The world may be a small place, but it's getting smaller with every passing funeral. As our lives intersect in such ways we become connected in grief.

But in spite of death's ever enclosing circle of creeping tentacles, the world keeps spinning and life continues on as if death was a short hiccup.

Yes, life continues on...

Thought For Thursday - Wright

A doctor can bury his mistakes,

but an architect can only advise his clients

to plant vines.

                  - Frank Lloyd Wright