Steve Goodier Inspirations

[Rhonda]

HOW TO STAY IN LOVE

After careful consideration and endless debate The Perfect Man
has finally been named: "Mr. Potato Head." He's tan. He's cute.
He knows the importance of accessorizing. And if he looks at
another girl, you can rearrange his face.

Jean Kerr quipped, "Personally, I think if a woman hasn't met the
right man by the time she's 24, she may be lucky." We become
cynical about love, don't we? We're tempted to believe that real
love is a myth, a long-term relationship is a marathon and
romance is for kids.

One person said, "Marriage changes passion...suddenly you're in
bed with a relative." But does marriage have to kill romance? Is
marriage really nothing but a long banquet at which the dessert
is served first?

I believe in love and romance. I believe it is something that can
last forever, if it is carefully cultivated. Here are some tips
for keeping romance alive and for staying in love:

FIND time to date. Time to be alone and tell each other of your
love. You spent time alone at first...why did you quit? My wife
and I get away alone every week. Just to refocus on each other.
And to fall in love again.

UNDERSTAND what delights the other and make it happen. "The
romance is over," says Marlys Huffman, "when you see a rosebush
and start looking for aphids instead of picking a bouquet." Does
she like to be surprised by flowers? Does he have a favorite dish
or activity? Does she enjoy spontaneous affection? Know what
brings pleasure to your partner -- and delight him/her!

NEVER forget why you got together in the first place. When you
focus first on his faults you're not thinking about his
strengths. When you're busy pointing out her imperfections,
you're not enjoying those qualities that attracted you to her
initially. Choose to appreciate that which first drew you
together and your romance will grow.

The first letter of these three tips spells the word FUN. Have
fun together. Laugh. Go on outings. Plan time to enjoy one
another. Remember, "the family the PLAYS together also STAYS
together"!

A woman from Charleston, South Carolina was overheard to remark
that it was her 53rd wedding anniversary. When asked if she
planned a special celebration, she smiled and said softly, "When
you have a nice man, it really doesn't matter." I suspect they
learned the secrets of staying in love.

Just in case you're not presently with Mr. or Miss Exactly Right,
there ARE some things you can do to bring romance back into your
life. And though your relationship may never be perfect, it CAN
be perfectly wonderful.
__________

P.S. CELEBRITY QUIP
Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die. -- Joe
Louis

[Rhonda]

THOSE WHO WILL LISTEN WILL LEARN
Steve Goodier
Advice comes in all shapes and sizes. For instance, someone gave the
sage advice: "If you dance with a grizzly bear, you had better let
him lead." No argument here.

Or this, found in a fortune cookie: "You are a poor, pathetic,
gullible fool who seeks advice from bakery products."

Conrad Hilton, hotelier extraordinaire, was asked on national
television if he had one vital bit of advice for listeners. "Please,"
he said, "place the curtain on the INSIDE of the tub."

It's been accurately said that there is a lot of advice available for
nothing, and most of it is worth about what we paid for it. But here
is sound guidance, from an unknown author, worth taking to heart:

"If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart,
forgive; for that person has helped you learn about trust
and the importance of caution.

If someone loves you, love back unconditionally; that one
is teaching you to love.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take
from those moments everything that you possibly can, for
you may never be able to experience them again.

Talk to people that you have never talked to before -- and
actually listen.

Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high.

Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell
yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself,
for if you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for others
to believe in you.

You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your
own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.

Most importantly, if you love others, tell them, for you never
know what may come tomorrow.

And learn a lesson in life each day you live."

Even some free advice can occasionally be of profit. Those who listen
will learn.
__________

P.S. CELEBRITY QUIP
I never talk to brokers or analysts... Wall Street is the only place
people ride to in a Rolls Royce to get advice from those who take the
subway. -- Financier Warren Buffet

[Rhonda]

TWO EYES; TWO HANDS
Steve Goodier
An older couple lay in bed one morning, having just awakened from a
good night's sleep. He tenderly took her hand, but she pulled back
responding, "Don't touch me."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because I'm dead."

Her confused husband said, "What are you talking about? We're both
lying here in bed together and talking to one another."

"No," she said, "I'm definitely dead."

He insisted, "You're not dead. What in the world makes you think
you're dead?"

"Because I woke up this morning and nothing hurts."

It is good to be able to laugh when we can, and especially about
daily aches and pains or normal problems. But sometimes our
difficulties and losses are so staggering we wonder how long we can
cope. Lingering and chronic illness, loss of someone we love and
overwhelming worry can devastate us. All of us have known almost
unbearable pain and hardships. Heart-breaking times. We might
think we will never again wake up feeling good.

A wise obstetrician at a university teaching hospital once made a
comment about suffering. Someone asked the doctor what advice he
offered to his students, future doctors and nurses, when caring for
mothers who gave birth to stillborn infants.

The doctor paused for a moment in thought. Then he said this: "I tell
them that they need two eyes. One eye is not enough; they need two
eyes. With one eye they have to check the I.V.; and with the other
eye they have to weep. That's what I tell them," he said. "I tell
them that they need two eyes."

He knows the secret of hard times: we need two eyes. One for seeing,
the other for weeping. And we need two hands. One for holding on, the
other for reaching out.

I don't know all there is to know about suffering. But I do know the
way to survive it. Two eyes; two hands. That's how we get through
this life best.
__________


In this world, you must be a bit too kind in order to be kind
enough. - Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux

[Rhonda]

EMBARRASSING MOMENTS
Steve Goodier
You've had one of those embarrassing moments. One of mine occurred a
few years ago.

I was driving through a seedy side of town one day and spotted a
young woman hitching a ride. (I honestly believed she just wanted a
ride!) So I stopped the car to let her in.

It happened during rush hour heavy traffic. I pulled over, but not
out of the lane, for there was no shoulder on the road. As I reached
across to open the car door, I noticed traffic backing up behind me.
(It also seemed that more than a few drivers were glaring at me.)

Once she was in and we started down the street I asked her, "Where
are you going?" She mumbled something I didn't understand so I asked
her again.

Instead of answering, she turned to me and asked, "Do you want a
date?

In my normal eloquent manner I responded, "Huh?"

"Do you want a date?" she asked again. "Do you want to have some
fun?"

I may not be the fastest horse in the race, but it was finally
getting through. "No," I feebly answered, realizing now what I had
stepped into. (Believe me - she didn't LOOK like a prostitute!)

"Then you better let me out," she said. "I have work to do."

We had only traveled about two blocks and I pulled over again. The
SAME CARS that were behind me before were still there. Again, they
all had to stop while she got out of the car. Now I was SURE they
were glaring.

As I drove off something unsettling occurred to me: I slowly realized
that I was undoubtedly the only person on the street that day who
didn't know what was going on!

Mayor Filorello LaGuardia of New York City said, "I don't make
many mistakes, but when I do, it's a beaut." I, on the other hand,
make plenty of mistakes, and a surprising number of them are beauts.

But I like actress Sophia Loren's approach: "Mistakes," she says,
"are part of the dues one pays for a full life." And the fuller the
life, I suspect, the more dues paid and the more risks taken.

I'll take the risks and make the mistakes if it means my life will be
fuller. After all, the greater mistake would be to never to risk at
all.

```
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates
profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love. -- Lao-Tzu

[Rhonda]

TURN ... AND COME OUT RIGHT
Steve Goodier
Not long ago a commercial airliner landed at New York's JFK
Airport. The captain was new to the New York run and steered the
jet off the runway, onto the taxiway and stopped. Slowly he began
taxiing. First he turned the nose of the aircraft to the right.
Then he turned it to the left. Then he turned the plane
completely around.

Finally, over the public-address system, a confused voice asked,
"Does anyone know where Gate 25 is?" Perhaps if he just turned
around enough times he would come out right!

Deciding to turn, though, is something we often have to do if we
are to live fully and live well! For each of us knows what it is
to head the wrong direction in life; and we also know how
relieved we feel to turn around again.

Do you remember the old Shaker hymn, written by Joseph Brackett, Jr.
over 150 years ago?

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning we come round right

Turning. I believe it is one of the most hopeful words in our
language. We human beings, by turning, can do something about the
course we've taken. We may not be able to change what we've
already done; and we may not be able to fully escape the
consequences of past choices. But we need not continue in the
same, destructive path. We can turn. We can find our way again!

Are you headed the wrong direction? Don't give up...you can
always start over. You can always turn. And turn again...and
again...until you come out right.

__________

P.S. ADVICE
Never argue with an idiot; they'll drag you down to their level and
beat you with experience. -- Anonymous

[Rhonda]

YOUR LIFE -- IT'S ON LOAN!
Steve Goodier

I like to take long walks in the cemetery. I've noticed something
about the hundreds of people beneath the cemetery ground. None of
them kept their bodies! They each were given a body to use -- some
for a short time and some for many years. But they all gave those
bodies up.

And that is true with their things, too. They came into the world
with nothing and they left the things of this world behind.
Everything. Their bodies; their money; their responsibilities; their
families; and, all of their things!

An old story tells of a grandmother and her grandson walking the
beach. The little boy spotted a dead pelican in the sand. "What
happened to that bird?" he asked.

"That pelican died and went to heaven to be with God," explained his
grandmother, in hopes of soothing the child.

Still puzzled, he asked, "Well, why did God throw him back?"

I rented a car recently. The rental papers indicated that the car
was "dented all over." I looked closely and, sure enough, it was
covered with little, round dents! Every door, the hood, the roof and
the trunk were affected. The car looked as if it had been caught in a
severe hail storm.

The damage was only visible upon close inspection, so it didn't
particularly bother me that it was dented. I drove the vehicle for a
few days and returned it to the rental agency. It wasn't my car. I
knew I couldn't keep it if I wanted to.

Our bodies are like loaner vehicles. They are ours to use, but not
ours to keep. We must care for them and maintain them, for the better
shape they are in, the longer we may borrow them. But we will someday
turn them back in. We were fortunate enough to be given bodies to use
for a while, but sometime they will become sick, damaged or simply
worn out, and we will need to return them.

This simple concept is one of the most transforming, comforting and
freeing truths I have come to know. I have been given the
extraordinary gift of a body to use for a season, and a few things of
this world to enjoy for a time. But NONE of these are mine to keep.
Therefore, I will guard against becoming too attached, for I know I
must give it all up someday.

I can live freed from unnecessary worry about myself. It's all on
loan. Mine to use well and enjoy for a time. And then, when I return
it all, I will give it back in gratitude and joy, thankful that I
even got to use it at all!

CELEBRITY QUIP
I've got a wonderful doctor. If you can't afford the operation, he
touches up the X-rays. -- Henny Youngman

[Rhonda]

DO YOU HAVE AN ANCHOR?
Steve Goodier
Though I have never seen it, I'm told that the Niagara River has a
couple of interesting signs upstream of the famous falls. There is
one by the side of the river visible to daredevil boaters that reads,
"Do you have an anchor?" Then just downstream is a second sign that
says, "Do you know how to use it?"

"Do you have an anchor?" I have found that a solid anchor is
indispensable to one who intends to live life fully. To have an
anchor is to be centered and well-grounded. It is to have a vital
spiritual base.

"Do you know how to use it?" For no amount of faith is enough if it
is not used.

We all come to what has been described as the "Red Sea place" in our
lives. That is the place where there is no way back and no way
around. We have to go through.

You know the places I mean . We find ourselves up against a critical
loss, an irreversible setback or a course of action that cannot be
changed. There is no way back and no way around. We have to go
through.

Even a small ship can weather major storms if it has an anchor. But
it is likely to be tossed about and even capsized if the anchor is
not used.

What will you do when you get to the next "Red Sea place" in your
life? Do you have an anchor? Do you know how to use it?
__________


P.S. AIN'T IT SO
All I want is less to do, more time to do it, and higher pay for not
getting it done ``unknown

[Rhonda]

ECHOES OF KIND WORDS
Steve Goodier
A little boy said to his father, "Let's play darts. I'll throw the
darts and you say, `Wonderful!'"

Here is a boy who was not afraid to ask for the encouragement he
needs. Maybe we all have something to learn from him!

Inspirational author and educator, Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, relates a
story about the devastating effects of discouragement. Dante Gabriel
Rossetti, the famous 19th Century poet and artist, was once
approached by an elderly man who asked him to look at a few of his
sketches and drawings. The gentleman wanted to know if the artist
thought they were of any value.

As gently as possible, Rossetti told the man that the sketches were
of no value and showed little talent. He apologized for the harsh
assessment but said that he believed he should be honest.

The visitor was disappointed but asked the artist if he could take a
look at just a few more, which were all done by a young art student.
Rossetti looked over the second batch of sketches and immediately
became enthusiastic over the talent they revealed. "These," he
said, "oh, these are good." He went on to say that the young student
shows much promise and should be given every help and encouragement,
as he may have a great future if he will study and work hard.

The old man was deeply moved. Rossetti asked, "Who is this fine,
young artist? Your son?"

"No," replied the visitor sadly. "It is I - forty years ago. If only
I had heard your praise then. For you see, I became discouraged and
gave up too soon."

Mother Teresa wisely said, "Kind words can be short and easy to
speak, but their echoes are truly endless." Sometimes it may be
enough to just say, "Wonderful!"


There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and
so on. -- Robert Byrne

[Rhonda]

THE GLORY OF SOLITUDE

We've all been lonely. You may understand how one weary traveler felt
as he sat alone on the edge of the bed in his motel room. He reached
for the Gideon Bible in the drawer and opened it. Inside was a page
that said, "If you are lonely and restless, read Psalm 23 and Psalm
27, Old Testament." Just below this reference, somebody wrote by
hand: "If you are still lonesome, call Mandy at 235-2827."

Not all aloneness is lonely, however. Theologian Paul Tillich put it
this way: "Language... has created the word 'loneliness' to express
the pain of being alone. And it has created the word 'solitude' to
express the glory of being alone."

Can you be alone without being lonely? Can you spend time by yourself
without craving noise and stimulation? There is glory in solitude.
And it brings with it gifts that come from nowhere else.

Ardath Rodale has said, "We can find quiet places of solitude among
the trees. In a grove of pine trees where the ground is covered by
soft needles, I sometimes lie down and look up through the branches
to see the blue sky. The tips of new pine growth shine in the
sunlight. The smell of pine needles fills the air. As a soft wind
blows, I realize that the whole branch sways in the breeze, but the
needles shiver independently like one of Bertoia's musical chimes. I
listen, but all is quiet. Trees say to each of us, 'Give yourself
time to listen to who you are.'"

Have you noticed that, in English, the word "listen" contains the
same letters as the word "silent"? In order to truly listen to who we
are, we must be silent. And in solitude, we will hear what can be
heard no other way.

Have you discovered the glory of solitude?

__________


P.S. CELEBRITY QUIP
What progress we are making. In the Middle Ages they would have
burned me. Now they are content with burning my books. -Sigmund
Freud,

[Rhonda]

YOUR GREAT BODY

Did anyone ever tell you that you have a great body?

One man tells of visiting a lumberyard to buy posts for a new
hammock. "How long will the posts last once they are sunk in the
ground?" he asked the clerk.

"Longer than you will," the sales clerk responded.

Another customer who was standing nearby grinned and asked, "Did it
ever occur to you that he might be saying that you're not looking all
that well?"

Whether you look or feel all that well, you DO have a great body. Did
you know
that...

Today --

Your heart will likely beat over 100,000 times?
Your blood will travel about 168,000 miles?
You will breathe about 23,000 times?
You will eat over three pounds of food?
You will drink three pounds of liquids?
You will turn in your sleep 25-30 times?
You may speak about 48,000 words?
You will use some 7,000,000 brain cells?

You see? You have a GREAT body! It is a miraculous machine. It runs
on peanuts and even regenerates itself. With good care, your great
body can serve you for years to come.

But, it will occasionally get sick or run down. Especially if you
neglect it. So it pays to take care of this marvelous machine.
Repairs are expensive and used parts are hard to come by.

Today... what will you do for yourself? Will you pick up that
exercise regimen you may have put off? Will you choose sensible
foods and get enough rest? Will you treat your body as the friend it
really is?

Do it today -- for a great future!