Let's Talk About Words

    "I've got something inside of me, peasant like and stubborn , and I'm in it till the end of the race," according to Truman Capote. Sometimes it is best to be stubborn and to never give up. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

"We  must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big  difference , ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big  differences  that we often cannot foresee." -Marian Wright Edelman You never know the impact that you can make in the lives of others through little steps. We can change others. Be the  difference. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

    Jonathan Winters said, "I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it." Life keeps going whether or not we achieve our goals. The sun rises and sets. We get older, so we should just keep moving and striving. Think of these delays as just a pause in life . Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

    W. Somerset Maugham said, "The unfortunate thing about this world is that the good habits are much easier to give up than the bad ones." I am not sure if this is true, yet it does take at least six weeks to form a habit and maybe even longer to stay a routine. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

"Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world." -Arthur Schopenhauer Don't mistake your own limitations for the limits of God . With God, all things are possible. See no limits . Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

     According to Fyodor Dostoyevski, "The soul is healed by being with children ." I have always wanted to be a mother. Even though raising my daughters has been much more difficult than I could ever imagine, it has brought me immense joy and happiness. It fills me with a love for them that cannot be contained. It taught me about myself, about life and about a happiness that can not be described with words. Being a mother has indeed healed my soul because my children fill me with a love that just keeps increasing. Children=love . Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

    "Truth is always exciting. Speak it, then; life is dull without it," according to Pearl S. Buck. I do think that a person can say the truth without being mean or hurtful. Be kind; be honest, and treasure the truth. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

    Kahlil Gibran said, "You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." I have volunteered in many different places over the years. Although there is value in all giving of yourself and your time, the ones that changed me were the ones that I enjoyed. Unfortunately, some things that I tried to volunteer in just were not a good fit, and I dreaded going and did not really enjoy it. Then there are other opportunities that I am excited to go to; the time just flies by, I do not want it to end, and I am inspired through it. Find those areas for yourself, and volunteer your time. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

     "Do not look back in anger, or forward in fear, but look around in awareness," according to James Thurber. Life really is amazing. Be aware of today. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

Epictetus," No great thing is created suddenly." Keep striving and reaching. Dreams take time to create. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

    Indira Gandhi said, "Whenever you take a step forward, you are bound to disturb something." Keep changing and growing. All progress involves change . Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

"If men could regard the events of their own lives with more open minds, they would frequently discover that they did not really desire the things they failed to obtain." -Andre Maurois Look at your life, and see what you really want.  Keep an open mind. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

"All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous, unpremeditated act without benefit of experience." -Henry Miller Change your life; try something different. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

"A beauty is a woman you notice; a charmer  is one who notices you." -Adlai Stevenson     It is nice to learn about others, but it is better when others want to learn about us too. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

"Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting." -Christopher Morley    Even when you fail, keep trying. Complaining might temporarily make you feel better, but it does not help. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

    An Italian proverb says, "One may have good eyes and yet see nothing." I am ashamed when I get so caught up in the drama of my own life that I fail to see the pain and heartache of others. I want to open my eyes. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

    "A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with, the wind," according to John Neal. When everything in our lives are going smoothly, we don't usually strive to improve ourselves or even ponder the mysteries of life. Opposition makes us think. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

     "Those that are afraid of bad luck will never know good," according to a Russian proverb. If we are afraid to try, we will never learn. Fear and ignorance are never good excuses to give up. Learn, learn, learn in life. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

     George Bernard Shaw said, " Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world ." Often in life our perception of the world and of others is influenced by our own experiences and ideas. Take off that lens and see others clearly. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

   Robert Louis Stevenson claimed, "A friend is a gift you give yourself." My blog topics come straight from the positive quotations book that my children bought me for my last birthday, so I don't choose them, yet they seem to come exactly at the times that I need to hear those words. I am struggling with some friendships at this stage of my life, so I ask myself "What do I need to learn about myself through these friendships ?" Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

     M. Scott Peck said, "There can be no vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability; there can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community ." Community is, simply put, a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. There are many places to have this solidarity, it can be at work or school or at your church. You can also form these relationships in the neighborhood that you live in, the fitness center you go to or a club that you join. Find people that you can share your interests with. Find your community . Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

"Yesterday was wood; tomorrow is ashes. Only today   does the fire burn brightly." -Eskimo proverb    This proverb is an interesting way to explain how important it is to live in the moment. The past is over, and we never know what the future holds, so I don't want to waste even a day. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

"If tears could build a stairwell and memories were a lane, I would walk right up to Heaven   and bring you home again."  -Anonymous    My father would have turned 70 today. Even though he is no longer alive, I know that he is watching us from Heaven. My dad is always with me. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

    Thomas Paine once said, "That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly." There is something to be said about the successes that come after a lot of hard work. The struggles do make my riches sweeter. Author Susan Marie Schulhof http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

"Being scared can keep a man from getting killed, but often makes a better fighter out of him." -Louis L'Amour     People are sometimes afraid of things for no real reason, yet there are also many times that our fears are appropriate. In those times, we need to listen and respond to keep ourselves safe. Being scared at times can keep us safe, so use your fears. Author Susan Marie Schulhof          http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

    An Indian Proverb states, "Call on God , but row away from the rocks." This is great advice for me. Often when facing struggles or just wishing my life was different, I pray out for God to help me. Please get me out of debt; please help me be an author; please help me mend a relationship. I want God to swoop in and solve my problems and make my dreams come true, yet God 's answer to me is to take action. Author Susan Marie Schulhof          http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

    Voltaire said, " Work banishes those three great evils: boredom, vice and poverty." Although I feel there are more evils in this world than boredom, vice and poverty, I think that work does help control those problems. When I work, whether it is my career, parenting or volunteering, my days are full and have purpose and direction. All work gives my life meaning. Author Susan Marie Schulhof          http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

Clarence Darrow said, "You can only protect your liberties  in this world by protecting the other man's freedom .  You can only be free if I am free." All I can say is that I agree. We can not live our lives only looking out for ourselves. We might stand together. Author Susan Marie Schulhof          http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

" Laughter is the shortest distance between two people." -Victor Borge    Although sharing your sorrows with another person can form an instant bond, laughing is a much more enjoyable way to get to know someone. Connect through laughter . Author Susan Marie Schulhof          http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

There is an anonymous quote that states, "There is nothing wrong with having nothing to say- unless you insist on saying it." Sometimes I struggle with being silent; I fill that empty space with useless chatter. I will work on saying nothing when I have  nothing to say. Author Susan Marie Schulhof          http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

    Aldous Huxley said, "Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him." I think that as a society, we are getting better at trying to understand how important it is to examine our response to struggles in our own lives. What about the struggles of others? Do we turn a blind's eye and figure it is not "our" problem? Or do we try to help and make a difference in other people's lives? If I can't find ways to help, I at least empathize with the struggles of others. Author Susan Marie Schulhof          http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com