I read through them as I took them of of his desk and they reminded me so much of him and the way he lived his life.
Some of my favorite ones...
"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give!" Kahlil Gibran
I Shall Not Pass This Way Again
Through this toilsome world, alas!
Once and only once I pass;
If a kindness I may show,
If a good deed I may do
To a suffering fellowman,
Let me do it while I can.
No delay, for it is plain
I shall not pass this way again.
*****
"Whatever principle of
intelligence we attain unto
in this life,
it will rise with us
in the resurrection."
Doctrine & Covenants 130: 18
*****
A Pledge
This is the beginning of a new day.
I have been given this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is important, because
I'm exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day will
be gone forever, leaving in its place
whatever I may have traded for it.
I pledge to myself that I shall win,
not lose; be good, not evil; be a success,
not a failure, in order that i shall not
regret the price I paid for this day.
*****
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
*****
A Wise Old Owl
A wise old owl live in an oak;
The more he saw the less he spoke;
The less he spoke the more he heard;
Why can't we all be like that bird?
*****
"Make haste, nor wait the coming hours: He who is unready today will be more so tomorrow."
*****
"Your task--to build a better world. "God said.
I answered, "How?"
This world is such a large vast place,
So complicated, now.
And I so small and useless am
There's nothing I can do."
But God in all his wisdom said,
"Just build a better YOU."
*****
This was one he cut out of the Coronet...nice! Some things never change
My Wife's Ten Commandments
I. Remember that I am thy wife,
Whom thou must cherish all thy life.
II. Thou shalt not stay out late at night,
Though lodges, friends or clubs invite.
III. Thou shalt not smoke, indoors or out,
Nor chew tobacco hereabout.
IV. Thou shalt with praise receive my pies,
Nor pastries made by me despise.
V. My mother thou shalt strive to please,
and let her live with us in ease.
VI. Remember, 'tis thy duty clear
To dress me well throughout the year.
VII. Thou shalt in manner mild and meek
Hand me thy pay check every week.
VIII. Thou shalt not be a drinking man,
But use the prohibition plan.
IX. Thou shalt not flirt, but must allow
Thy wife such freedom anyhow.
X. Thou shalt get up when baby cries,
and try the child to tranquilize.
*****
If wisdom's way you
wisely seek,
Five things observe with care:
Of whom you speak,
To whom you speak,
and how, and when and where.
*****
In men whom men condemn as ill
I find so much of goodness still
In men whom men pronounce divine
I find so much of sin and blot
I dare not draw a line
Between the two when God has not.
*****
"Lord, make my words sweet and kind today, for I may have to eat them tomorrow."
*****
Maturity
Maturity is the ability to control anger and settle
differences without violence or destruction.
Maturity is patience. It is the willingness to pass
up immediate pleasure in favor of long-term gain.
Maturity is perseverance, the ability to sweat out
a project or a situation in spite of heavy opposition
and discouraging setbacks.
Maturity is the capacity to face unpleasantness
and frustration, discomfort and defeat, without
complaint or collapse.
Maturity is humility. It is being big enough to
Maturity is humility. It is being big enough to
say, "I was wrong." And, when right, the mature
person need not experience the satisfaction of
saying, "I told you so."
Maturity is the ability to make a decision and
follow through. The immature spend their lives
exploring endless possibilities and then do nothing.
maturity means dependability, keeping one's
word and coming through in a crisis. The immature
are masters of the alibi. They are conflicted and
disorganized. Their lives are a maze of broken
promises, former friends, unfinished business and
good intentions that never materialize.
Maturity is the art of living in peace with what we
cannot change, the courage to change what we know
should be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference.
*****
Some think that happiness comes from getting. Others know that is comes from giving.
Do my thoughts, choices, and actions move me toward Christ?
Are my prayers, scriptures, the sacrament, and temple becoming more meaningful?
Am I trying to develop Christ-like qualities?
Do I feel peace in my life?
Am I receptive to the Holy ghost?
Am I keeping my covenants?
Am I learning to control how I feel and think as well as how I act?
*****
FOUR THINGS
Four things a man must learn to do
If he would make his record true:
To think without confusion clearly;
To love his fellow-men sincerely;
To act from honest motives purely;
To trust in God and heaven securely.
Henry Van Dyke
*****
In all things, success depends upon previous preparation...Confucious
*****
I would be a friend to the friendless
and find joy in ministering to the
needs of the poor.
I would visit the sick and afflicted
and inspire in them a desire for faith
to be healed.
I would teach the truth to under-
standing and blessing of all
mankind.
I would seek out the erring one and
try to win him back to a righteous
and a happy life.
I would not seek to force people to
live up to my ideals, but rather love
them into doing the thing that is
right.
I would live with the masses and
help them solve their problems that
their earth life may be happy.
I would avoid the publicity of high
positions and discourage the flattery
of thoughtless friends.
I would not knowingly wound the
feeling of any, not even one who
may have wronged me, but would
seek to do him good and make him
my friend.
I would overcome the tendency to
selfishness and jealousy and rejoice
in the success of all the children of
my Heavenly Father.
I would not be an enemy to any living soul.
Knowing that the Redeemer of
mankind has offered to the world
the only plan that will fully develop
us and make us really happy here
and hereafter, I feel it not only a
duty, but also a blessed privilege to
disseminate this truth.
Biography of George Albert Smith
*****
"Let it begin with me!"
THE UNEXPECTED
KINDNESS
FROM AN UNEXPECTED
PLACE,
A HAND OUTSTRETCHED
IN FRIENDSHIP,
A SMILE
ON SOMEONES FACE,
A WORD OF
UNDERSTANDING
SPOKEN
IN AN HOUR OF TRIAL
ARE "UNEXPECTED
MIRACLES"
THAT MAKE LIFE
MORE WORTHWHILE.
*****
"Don't itch for something you're not willing to scratch for."
*****
It's not where you serve but how.
*****
Attitude: "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skills. It will make or break a city...a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to us and ninety percent how we react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes." ( Dr. Charles Swindoll)
*****
"...I will go and do the
things which the Lord hath
commanded, for I know that
the Lord giveth no
commandments unto the
children of men, save he
children of men, save he
shall prepare a way for
them that they may
accomplish the thing which
He commandeth them."
1 Nephi 3:7
*****
Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get.
*****
People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be, not what you nag them to be.
*****
A Prayer for Later Years
Lord, thou knowest that I am growing older.
Keep me from becoming too talkative, and particularly
keep me from falling into the tiresome habit of
expressing an opinion on every subject.
Release me from the craving to straighten out
every body's affairs. Keep my mind free from the
recital of endless details. give me wings to get to the
point.
Give me grace, dear Lord, to listen to others
describe their aches and pains. Help me endure the
boredom with patience and keep my lips sealed, for
my own aches and pains are increasing in number
and intensity, and the pleasure of discussing them is
becoming sweeter as the years go by.
Teach me the glorious lesson that, occasionally, I
might be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet. I do
not wish to be a saint ( saints are so hard to live with),
\but a sour old person is the work of the devil.
Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but
not pushy; independent, yet able to accept with graciousness
favors that others wish to bestow on me.
Free me of the notion that simply because I have\
lived a long time, I am wiser than those who have
not lived so long.
If I do not approve of some of the changes that
have taken place in recent years, give me the wisdom
to keep my mouth shut.
Lord knows that when the end comes, I would like
to have a friend or two left.---Author Unknown
*****
12 things to remember
1. The value of time
2. The success of perseverance
3. The pleasure of working
4. The dignity of simplicity
5. The worth of character
5. The worth of character
6. The power of kindness
7. The influence of example
8. The obligation of duty
9. The wisdom of economy
10. The virtue of patience
11. The improvement of talent
12. The joy of originating
Marshall Field
*****
"Dost thou love life?
Then do not squander time,
for that's the stuff life is made of."
Franklin
*****
Money will buy a bed but not sleep;
books but not brains; food but not
appetite; finery but not beauty;
a house but not a home; medicine but
not health; luxuries but not culture;
amusements but not happiness;
religion but not salvation; a passport to
everywhere but heaven.
Anonymous
*****
You Tell on yourself
You tell on yourself by the friends you seek,
By the very manner in which you speak,
By the way you employ your leisure time,
By the use you make of your dollar and dime;
You tell what you are by the things you wear,
By the spirit in which you your burdens bear,'
By the kind of things at which you laugh,
By the records you play on the phonograph.
You tell what you are by the way you walk,
By the thing of which you delight to talk,
By the manner in which you bear defeat,
By so simple a thing as the way you eat.
By the books you choose from the well-filled shelf;
So there's really particle of sense
In an effort to keep up false pretense.
*****
A Thankful Heart
For all that God in mercy sends,
For health and children, home and friends;
For comforts in the time of need,
For every kindly word or deed,
For happy thoughts and holy talk,'
For guidance in our daily walk--
In everything give thanks!
For beauty in this world of ours,
For verdant grass and lovely flowers,
For song of birds, for hum of bees,
For the refreshing summer breeze,
For hill and plain, for streams and wood,
For the great ocean's might flood--
In everything give thanks!
*****
The right to choose for himself what he will Believe and do is the choicest possession of every intelligent man and woman. The unhindered exercise of this right is FREEDOM.
*****
I Am Old Glory
I am Old glory; for more than ten score years I have been the banner of hope and freedom for generation after generation of Americans. Born amid the first flames of America's fight for freedom, I am the symbol of a country that has grown from a little group of thirteen colonies to a united nation of fifty sovereign states. Planted firmly on the high pinnacle of American Faith my gently fluttering folds have proved an inspiration to untold millions. Men have followed me into battle with unwavering courage. they have looked upon me as a symbol of national unity. They have prayed that they and their fellow citizens might continue to enjoy the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, which have been granted to every American as the heritage of free men. so long as men love liberty more than life itself, so long as they treasure the priceless privileges bought with the blood of our forefathers; so long as the principles of truth, justice and charity for all remain deeply rooted in human hearts, I shall continue to be the enduring banner of the United States of America.
*****
An Indian Prayer
O' Great spirit,
Whose voice I hear in the winds, and whose breath gives life to all the world,
Hear me! I am small and weak, I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in Beauty, and make my eyes
ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have
made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand the
things you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden
in every leaf and rock.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my
brother, but to fight my greatest
enemy--myself.
Make me always ready to come to you with
clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my spirit may come to you
without shame.
There was also a copy of the Ten Commandments and the Declaration of Independence and other neat cards and pictures that were special to him.
I am also a collector of thoughts and sayings and quotes that touch my heart....I'd like to think I inherited that from my dad.
If I see or hear something I like, I'll jot it down and stick it my big red binder that holds all my stitchery patterns. Then when I'm ready to sew something new, I'll go browse through all these messages and pick one that feels right for the occasion.
I always ponder as I'm stitching, about the message in what I'm making. I think ...'Am I living what this message teaches?' More than likely...not so much. But it's a great reminder of what I want to be and gives me good incentive to try to do better.
Thanks daddy... for one more sweet gift you left for us.
1 comment:
love these!
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