Quotes

 

I’ve always been a decent student, 

Memorizing information for tests and such, 

But I’ve never been good at memorizing quotes, 

And most of that information that I memorized for tests has flown out the window!

 

The other day, a friend posted a prompt 

To share a quote that has made a profound impact on your life. 

A recent quote from Joe the Counselor immediately popped into my mind 

But I also kept thinking about memorable quotes from friends or family. 

To be someone who thrives off of words of affirmation,

There are very few quotes that I remember.

I tend to remember moments, overall feelings, circumstances, and life-application meanings

Instead of exact sentences. 

 

That being said, 

There are a few quotes that have planted themselves in my head, 

And I want to share those quotes now:

 

Watch for the deers and the drunks. (Affectionately now abbreviated WFDD) —Dad

 

We pay for what we value. —Daniel the Brother 

 

If given the choice to do something special or take a nap, do the something special. Ten years from now, you won’t remember that nap, but you will remember doing something special. —Daniel the Brother 

 

Before we were born, God pulled us to God‘s chest and whispered who we are supposed to be. When we came into the world, the world immediately began trying to make us into who it wants us to be. Our life’s journey is to live into who God whispered us to be. Jesus was the only person to ever to do this. That is his perfection. —Dr. Timothy Brock

 

I don’t want to be involved in culture wars. I want to be involved in culture care. —Sara Groves 

 

I think our morning duty is as much for emotional support as it is for safety. —Holly Windmeyer

 

You are perfect the way you are AND there is always room for improvement. —Joe The Counselor

 

You don’t have to do the whole two weeks at once. —Joe The Counselor 

 

And that’s about it.

 

What about you?

What are some memorized quotes that have profoundly influence your life?

Please share.

I’d love to hear!

On Turning 50

I don’t remember jokes very well.

And I don’t usually remember exact quotes either.

But many years ago,

My brother said something I’ll never forget:

“There’s nothing much less useful than a cold French fry.”

😊

 

I’ve always looked up to my brother.

So many of my childhood memories have him in it,

And, oddly enough, a lot of those memories involve sports!

One of my favorite memories is playing football.

My brother drew out the plays on his hand,

With x’s and arrows.

We were very serious about the execution of those plans,

And to this day, I live by his subconscious advice:

“Make a plan, and execute it well!”

 

Other memories involve band.

My brother was a trombone player,

And he once told me,

“If you’re going to play an instrument, play it well.”

So I listened.

I was asked to start high school marching band in 7^th grade.

That meant three years marching with my brother.

I always thought that was neat.

 

I also think it’s neat that

It’s because of my brother that

I am now an avid art collector.

Daniel once told me that if I had the money to afford a piece of art

That spoke to me,

Then I should buy it.

(That was in the beginning.

Now I must ask if I have the money AND the wall space :-p).

 

It’s also because of him that I see so many musical and theatre performances.

He says that we put our money where our values are—

That if I value musicals and theatre performances,

Then I should go see them.

So I do.

 

And he also once said that

When given a choice to do something that you really want to do vs. sleep,

Choose the thing you want to do.

He said, “You will likely remember the event or activity—

But you won’t likely remember that nap.”

Now. I like sleeping. I’m a nap taker.

But sometimes people and events are more important than even naps.

And Daniel’s words help me remember that.

 

Daniel’s 50^th birthday is today.

So today I am especially grateful for the boy that he was,

The man that he is,

And the person he is still becoming.

 

May we all influence others’ lives for the better…

Especially in our passing words and wisdom.

May we eat fries when they are warm,

Make good plans,

Enjoy good art,

See meaningful shows,

And make lasting memories with those we love.

 

Amen.

What Makes Me Smile

In a dilemma on Monday morning, I asked a coworker to give me a challenge for the week. She said, “Pickle.” Due to a conversation that I wrote about a few weeks ago, I immediately started laughing. So…“Write about and draw something--or some things--that make you smile--that make you feel happiness or joy inside,” became the question of the week.

We received a lot of answers.

As I read through these answers this afternoon, I found myself smiling quite a bit. The most common yet nonetheless wonderful answer was friends and family. I never tire of hearing about how much my students love their families…and I never stop praying that their families love them back.

What jumped out at me this afternoon, though, were the unique answers—the ones that made me either laugh or cry, or the ones that were wise beyond their years.
In the laughter category, I read:
• “Unicorns make me happy because they are like horses and they pupe rainbows.”
• “I smile when I do my terminator voice.”

In the wisdom category, I read:
• “A day without laughter is a day wasted,”
• “What makes me happy is friends and family. As long as I have those I am fine.”
• “I smile when I fail because it shows that I’m not afraid to make mistakes.”

In the tears category, I read:
• “What makes me happy is God. Because he mead a eather (earth) and mead (made) me and my failmy. I thank God for what he dune for me. When I got in a carasint (car accident) I thot my grammom was not ok. But God bless me. That is a good God. And that makes me happy. Aman. If you pray, God will make a change.”
• “What makes me smile is that I see my mom and I see my dad and my brothers. What makes me smile is playing and fishing and just having fun with my family. What makes me smile is playing at school and having fun. What makes me smile is playing and dancing with Ms. Deaton. What makes me smile is playing with Mr. G. What makes me smile is doing art with Ms. K and what makes me smile is reading with Mrs. H and what makes me smile is doing stuff with Mrs. A.T. and what makes me smile is knowing my teacher loves me.”
I literally wept when I read that last line. Honestly, I find myself wiping away tears as I write this now.

Because, friends, this is what life is about. The doing is great. The special things. The actions, activities, and events. The plans we make. The prayers we pray. The gifts we give. Those are all great. But when it all comes down to it, the consistent being is what matters—the being the presence of grace, hope, forgiveness, journey, and faith in such a way that those around us—friends, family, students, patients, clients, colleagues, strangers—know that we love them.

“What makes me smile is knowing that my teacher loves me.”

May that statement be said of me…

And may it be said of you, too, friend…whatever it is that you teach—in life or in a classroom—every day.

Aman.

Bullet's Wisdom

When I’m home for supper, Bullet thinks it mandatory to take me on an after-dinner walk. Tonight, as he walked me around the neighborhood,
I watched him as he ran around and peed on everything.
Then I watched as he lifted his leg and only one drop of pee came out.
Then I watched as nothing came out.
Then I found myself saying,
“Oops. You can try to mark your territory all you want, buddy,
But you don’t have any pee left in you.
I hope you got all the important stuff first.”

As I watched our fat little white dog bullet through the neighbors’ yards,
Trying his best to leave his mark,
I couldn’t help but think:
That’s what happens with us, too.
We run around,
From home to work to church to ballgames to meetings to friends to family,
Trying to leave our mark,
Trying to make a difference,
But the more we run,
The more we places we go,
The more we give,
The less we have to give,
Until we find ourselves showing up but leaving nothing
Because we have nothing left to give.

Our fat little white dog is currently snoring on the couch beside me.
He came home.
He drank a lot of water.
He went to visit a friend.
He came back and spent time on the porch with his favorite person in the world.
He sprawled out so that he could receive lots of touches and love.
Then he went to sleep.
Tomorrow, he’ll be ready to go back out and mark some more territory.

Eugene Cho beautifully writes:
Don't be overwhelmed.
Stay the course.
Be encouraged.
Be tenacious.
Do not quit.
Take heart.
Persevere.
Have faith.
Press on.
Trust.
God.

And Bullet says:
Go home.
Stay hydrated.
Spend time with those you love.
Enjoy nature.
Breathe deeply.
Love well.
Hug often.
Rest.

Then you can make your mark on the world.
wis

Strawberry Salad on Thursday Mornings

“Dear God, thank you for friendship and strawberry salad on Thursday mornings.”

Thus began a four and a half hour lunch date with a dear friend whom I hadn’t seen in over a year. We started our time together with homemade potato chips and ended it with pepperoni pizza. We had salads, sandwiches, and coffee in between, and we talked and talked and talked, both laughing and crying along the way.

Shortly after we parted, I called another dear friend with whom I hadn’t actually spoken in months. We’d been playing phone tag and sending quick texts here and there, but we hadn’t actually talked, and I was feeling the void left by missing our talks.

Conversation is so very important. And words are so very powerful. So for someone who is extraverted and thrives off of words of affirmation, days like today are unusually life-giving.

…

One afternoon while shopping with friends, I found myself magnetically drawn to an area of the store that my friends did not see. It was upstairs, away from everything else, and it was filled with beautiful art. Every piece of art was handmade and depicted a saying that was poignant, humorous, blunt, or wise.

After about fifteen minutes of separation, I heard my friends looking for me. I went to the top of the stairs, looked down, and happily declared, “I’m up here. I found words!”

…

I’ve written about the importance of words in my life before tonight. In fact, I think I once declared myself a word harvester after spending hours saving particularly meaningful and encouraging texts.

So when I hear positive words like,
“I believe that you have all the wisdom you need to make this decision,”
or receive cards in the mail that say,
“Your leading the music at [church] gives our worship services a special mood and effect. Sunday’s service gave me a needed lift,”
I feel very good.

But when I hear negative words like,
“She doesn’t need to speak so much,”
or have someone tell me,
“Everyone in the [group] likes you. Well, maybe not everyone, but almost everyone,”
I feel very bad.

But it’s not just that. I don’t just feel bad. I hear the words over and over again in my mind. They become a broken record that creates so much noise that it drowns out all words of good—and I dare say all words of truth. The power of positive words can be eclipsed by the power of negative words; therefore, as much as words can build me up, they can also tear me down.

Words are both my salvation and my kryptonite.

…

So it’s no wonder that I was so happy when I found words while shopping.
And it’s no wonder that my heart is full tonight after spending hours today talking with friends.
But it’s also no wonder that I’ve been struggling to soften some negative words that surfaced a few weeks ago and have only intensified since.
It’s no wonder that I’ve been struggling to quiet my mind so that I can hear
God’s words of truth.

…

I have a feeling I’m not the only person struggling with words right now.
I have a feeling I’m not the only person in need of more strawberry salad and less condemning noise.
I have a feeling I’m not the only person who needs to hear a clear word from God.

…

May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord our God. Our strength and redeemer. Our rock and our salvation. Hear this prayer and guide our paths, oh God.

And bless the hands that prepare our strawberry salad.

Bubbly Wisdom

As I scrolled through my Facebook feed last night, I noticed the following post:

I was running water for C's bubble bath. I used all the bubbles. She was upset. I said, “On payday I will buy you some more.” She said, “Ugh...those people need to give you more money. You work all the time and never have enough money.” I said, “What people?” First she said the principal. I told her that the principal doesn't give me money but that the governor does. She said, “He needs to quit wasting money on stuff he doesn't need and give it to all the teachers.” Amazing how a 5-year-old makes such a complicated matter seem so simple. C's theory: "The more work you do, the money you should make."

Being as tired as I was when I read this post, what stuck out to me was not the deep Kindergarten wisdom—which is there and that I will leave you ponder on your own—but the fact that C was out of bubble bath.

Believe it or not, I’ve had bubble bath in my car since Christmas. [Yes. I need to clean out my car.] So when I saw C in the hallway this morning, I said, “Hey! I have something for you.” A few minutes later, I was walking to my car with C, her sister, and two other kids. When we got to my car and I retrieved the box, C said, “What does it say?” Her sister said, “Bubble bath.”

C’s eyes lit up and she said, “I ran out of bubbles last night.”

Almost immediately, the conversation shifted to other things and we all began walking back to the building. As C carried her new treasure, I said, “Do you know what that is?” She said, “No.” I said, “It’s bubble bath.”

C’s eyes lit up again and she said, in amazement, “I ran out of bubbles last night.”

I said, “You did?! Well now you’re not out anymore, so you can take another bubble bath.”

Then the children went to their classrooms and I went to duty and I didn’t think about the bubble bath again until this afternoon…

At which point I smiled as I thought about C’s posture of wonder that bubbles had magically appeared the day after hers ran out.