Steve Goodier Inspirations

[Rhonda]

GETTING THE LAST WORD IN

Listen to this letter of apology:

"Dear Dog,

I am so sorry about you being sent to the dog pound for the broken
lamp which you did not break; the fish you did not spill; and the
carpet that you did not wet; or the wall that you did not dirty with
red paint...

Things here at the house are calmer now, and just to show you that I
have no hard feelings towards you, I am sending you a picture, so you
will always remember me.

Best regards,

The Cat"

The Old French root of the word "repent" is "repentir," which
actually means to be sorry. The cat may have said he was sorry, but
there is no sorrow here. It reminds of me of the story of a woman
with fourteen children, ages one through fourteen, who decided to sue
her husband for divorce on grounds of desertion.

"When did he desert you?" the judge asked.

"Thirteen years ago," she replied.

"If he left 13 years ago? Where did all the children come from?"

"Well," said the woman, "he kept coming back to say he was sorry."

Again, no sorrow here, for if he'd been truly sorry, he'd have
stayed. Sincere repentance always leads to change.

Are you in error? Apologize. But apologize well. Never ruin your
apology with an excuse, for only sincere repentance can lead to
change. Apologize with words, then back those words up with actions.
Decide to act differently next time.

Apologize -- it's a great way to get the last word in.

--Steve Goodier
__________

[Rhonda]

NOTHING WILL GROW THERE!

Brian Cavanaugh, T.O.R. tells about a magnificent harvest in his
book "MORE SOWER'S SEEDS: Second Planting." One spring, he and
two seminary friends sought permission to plant a garden. He
says, "Our house of studies was located in the downtown area of a
large metropolitan city. There wasn't much of a backyard.
Actually, it was a stone-covered dirt parking lot with no extra
space. However, we carefully planned our garden, taking into
account the area that received optimal sunshine.

"The three of us approached the superior with our plan for a
small area to plant some squash, tomatoes and cucumbers. The only
real cost involved was to rent a rake, a pickax and a hoe.
However, getting the superior's permission would still be
difficult. None of us who were involved with this garden project
will ever forget his response to our request. With a slightly
bored, tilting of his head he glanced at us and abjectly replied,
'You're wasting your time. Nothing will ever grow there! But, go
ahead if you still want to.'

"We had received permission from on high! So what if it wasn't
enthusiastic. We rented tools; raked four inches of stones into
neat walls outlining the garden; hoisted the pickax and struck
what must have been a former refuse area. A gardener's dream --
dark, composted, fertile soil just sitting there waiting to be
discovered. We looked at each other with broad grins and repeated
in unison, 'Ah, nothing will grow there.' As you might have
surmised by now, things did grow there, in our garden. In fact,
twice we re-staked the tomatoes, topping them off, finally, when
they were seven feet tall."

Have you ever felt that way about your life -- "Nothing will grow
there..."? Have you felt discouraged about your life's progress?
Worried about crop failure? Disappointed that nothing good ever
seems to come up?

What do you want to grow? Understanding? Faith? Courage?
Optimism? Joy? Love? Or are you nurturing a new project or small
business?

Don't believe that "nothing will grow there." I like the
observation of writer George Eliot, "It's never too late to be
who you might have been." You may not always see the potential
for growth, but it is there. All the rich compost you need may be
hidden just beneath the surface, but can only be discovered
after you begin digging.

Ralph Waldo Emerson proclaimed, "Oh man! There is no planet sun
or star could hold you, if you but knew what you are." You are
capable of doing and becoming more than you might imagine!

With careful nurture, something WILL grow there. And it will be
magnificent.

--Steve Goodier
__________

[Rhonda]

HOW MUCH MUSIC CAN YOU MAKE?

Imagine this. A concert violinist is performing a difficult piece in
front of a large audience. Suddenly there is a loud snap that
reverberates throughout the auditorium. The audience immediately knows
that a string has broken and fully expects the concert to be suspended
until another string, or instrument, is brought to the musician.

But instead, the violinist composes herself, closes her eyes and then
signals the conductor to begin again. The orchestra resumes where they
had left off and now the musician plays the music on three strings. In
her mind she works out new fingering to compensate for the missing
string. A work that few people can play well on four strings, the
violinist with the broken string plays on three.

When she finishes, an awesome silence hangs in the room. And then as
one, the crowd rises to their feet and cheers wildly. The violinist
smiles and wipes perspiration from her brow. When silence returns to
the great room, she explains why she continued to play in spite of a
broken string. "You know," she says, still breathless, "sometimes it
is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make
with what you have left." *

We know what she means, don't we? Maybe we've lived most of our lives
and we have only a little time left. Can we still make music?

Maybe disease has robbed us of our capacity to work. Can we still make
music?

Perhaps a financial loss has left us impoverished. Can we still make
music?

Or maybe a meaningful relationship has ended and we feel alone in the
world. Can we still make music?

There will come a time when we all experience loss. Like the
violinist, will we find the courage to discover just how much music we
can still make with what we have left? How much good we can still do?
How much joy we can still share? For I'm convinced that the world,
more than ever, needs the music only you can make.

And if it takes extra courage to make the music, many will applaud
your effort. For some people have lost more than others, and these
brave souls inspire the rest of us to greater heights.

Just how much music can you make with what you have left?

-- Steve Goodier

* Though this scenario is sometimes purported to have happened to
violinist Itzhak Perlman, the incident cannot be substantiated and is
more likely grist in the mill of urban legend.
__________

P.S. AIN'T IT SO
Utility is when you have one telephone; luxury is when you have two
and paradise is when you have none.

[Rhonda]

ENJOYING WHAT YOU DO!

Plato said that work should be play. Some airline employees have
taken his injunction seriously. After landing, one flight attendant
announced, "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you
enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a
ride."

As a plane touched down and was slowing to a stop at Washington
National, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella.
WHOA!"

One pilot made this weather announcement: "Weather at our destination
is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but they'll try to have them
fixed before we arrive."

"As you exit the plane," a flight attendant said, "please make sure
to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be
distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave
children or spouses."

And passengers heard this just as they were to exit the aircraft:
"Last one off the plane must clean it."

To enjoy your work more, it helps to put some play in what you do.
But what if you don't like your work? Can you find something to do
you enjoy?

Authors Doug Hall and David Wecker tell the story of Ken Davis, a man
who found a simple way to enjoy his work (MAKING THE COURAGE
CONNECTION; Fireside Books, 1997). Ken just couldn't find his
occupational niche. He worked at a variety of jobs and disliked them
all. While Ken was working as a door salesman, he noticed that at
least half of his customers had malfunctioning doorbells. And
suddenly, Ken's life career became clear. He opened his own doorbell
repair service.

Ken's wife laughed when she first heard his idea. When she realized
he was serious, she cried. Whoever heard of making a living repairing
doorbells? But Ken is making a comfortable living at his unique job,
and he's happier than he's ever been. Ken didn't enjoy what he was
doing, so he is now doing what he enjoys.

"The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are
working for somebody else," Earl Nightingale asserts. "Job security
is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual.
Remember, jobs are owned by the company; you own your career!"

No matter where you work, you work for yourself! With a little
creativity and imagination, your work can seem less like drudgery and
more like play. And wouldn't you really rather have it that way?
__________

P.S. CELEBRITY QUIP
Whenever I think about the past, it just brings back so many
memories. -- Steven Wright

[Rhonda]

A CHOICE FOR PEACE

Steve Goodier


Photographer Nick Ut received a Pulitzer Prize for a dramatic war-time
picture taken in Viet Nam. You may remember seeing it. The picture
shows a little girl in agony walking naked down a country road amongst
other weeping children. Dark smoke hangs heavily in the sky behind the
fleeing group. The child's arms are painfully outstretched and her
face is contorted in an expression of terror and misery. A Napalm
bomb, dropped on her village, seared off the little girl's clothing
and severely burned her skin.

The date is June 8, 1972. The child, Kim Phuc, was carried by Nick to
a truck and transported to an area hospital. She cried over and over,
"Non'g Qu'a. Non'g Qu'a," which means "Too hot! Too hot!"

Kim hovered between life and death. She required 17 different surgical
operations and months of rehabilitation. Today, she lives in Canada
and has become an important spokesperson on issues of peace. "Pain
never disappears," Kim says. "You just learn how to deal with it."

In 1996 she was asked to say a few words at the Viet Nam War Memorial
in Washington D.C. Kim talked about forgiving those people who were
responsible for all the misery and suffering inflicted that tragic
day. She said, "Even if I could talk face to face with the pilot who
dropped the bombs, I would tell him we cannot change history but we
should try to do good things for the present and for the future to
promote peace." It was a message of forgiveness. She knew that her
acts of reconciliation were the bricks that could pave the only true
road to peace.

Kim could easily spend the rest of her life blaming others for her
suffering. She could have grown up a bitter and resentful woman.
Instead, she made a courageous choice - a choice for peace.

It's a choice none of us can escape.
__________

P.S. OPTIMISM
Optimism is getting married at 90 and looking for a house near a
school.

[Rhonda]

RISE ABOVE

Steve Goodier


Former U.S. President John F. Kennedy received endless advice and
criticism from the media concerning how he should run the country.
Much of it he took good-naturedly. In fact, he often used a favorite
story in response to the media's comments about how they thought he
could do a better job.

He told about a legendary baseball player who always played
flawlessly. He consistently hit when at bat and was never thrown out
at first. When on base he never failed to score. As a fielder, he
never dropped a ball and he threw with unerring accuracy. He ran
swiftly and played gracefully.

In fact, he would have been one of the all-time greats except for one
thing - no one could ever persuade him to put down his beer and hotdog
and come out of the press box to play!

Most of us can empathize, for we all have people in our lives who
criticize and second-guess. They are quick to point out flaws and
quicker yet to offer advice.

When it comes to receiving criticism, I believe it helps to remember
first that not all criticism is invalid. Wisdom listens for the kernel
of truth and saves it for future growth. But when criticism seems
unfair, I believe it helps to remember the hawk. When attacked by
crows, it does not counterattack. Instead, the hawk soars higher and
higher in ever- widening circles until the pests leave it alone.

When there is nothing to learn from criticism, can you rise above it
and soar?



.
P.S. AIN'T IT SO
The scientific theory I like the best is that the rings of Saturn are
composed entirely of lost airline luggage. -- Mark Russell,

[Rhonda]

NO REGRETS
STEVE GOODIER

Not many people have heard of Bill Havens. But Bill became an unlikely
hero of sorts - at least among those who knew him best. Here is his
story:

At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the sport of canoe racing was
added to the list of international competitions. The favorite team in
the four-man canoe race was the United States team. One member of that
team was a young man by the name of Bill Havens.

As the time for the Olympics neared, it became clear that Bill's wife
would give birth to their first child about the time that the US team
would be competing in the Paris games. In 1924 there were no jet
airliners from Paris to the United States, only slow ocean-going
ships. And so Bill found himself in a dilemma. Should he go to Paris
and risk not being at his wife's side when their baby was born? Or
should he withdraw from the team and remain with his family?

Bill's wife insisted that he go to Paris. After all, competing in the
Olympics was the culmination of a life-long dream. But Bill felt
conflicted and, after much soul-searching, decided to withdraw from
the competition and remain home where he could support his wife when
the child arrived. He considered being at her side his highest
priority - even higher than going to Paris to fulfill his dream.

As it turned out, the United States four-man canoe team won the gold
medal in Paris. And Bill's wife was late in giving birth to their
child. She was so late, in fact, that Bill could have competed in the
event and returned home in time to be with her when she gave birth.

People said, "What a shame." But Bill said he had no regrets. For the
rest of his life, he believed he had made the better decision. Bill
Havens knew what was most important to him. Not everybody figures that
out. And he acted on what he believed was best. Not everybody has the
strength of character to say no to something he or she truly wants in
order to say yes to something that truly matters. But for Bill, it was
the only way to peace; the only way to no regrets. There is an
interesting sequel to the story of Bill Havens..

The child eventually born to Bill and his wife was a boy, whom they
named Frank. Twenty-eight years later, in 1952, Bill received a
cablegram from Frank. It was sent from Helsinki, Finland, where the
1952 Olympics were being held. The cablegram read: "Dad, I won. I'm
bringing home the gold medal you lost while waiting for me to be
born."

Frank Havens had just won the gold medal for the United States in the
canoe-racing event, a medal his father had dreamed of winning but
never did. Like I said - no regrets.

Thomas Kinkade eloquently said, "When we learn to say a deep,
passionate yes to the things that really matter... then peace begins
to settle onto our lives like golden sunlight sifting to a forest
floor."
__________

P.S. Cats allow us to have it their way. -- Austin Hunter

[Rhonda]

THE POWER OF A TOUCH

Writer Gordon MacDonald said that each night he reads a story to his
little daughter. One day he was preparing to be away from home for a
few days and he taped a selection of stories for his daughter to
listen to while he was gone.

When he came back, he was eager to hear his daughter's reaction.
She answered, "Dad, the stories were fine, but it wasn't the same --
I
couldn't sit on the tape recorder's lap."

Too often we underestimate the power of touch. Negative as well as
positive touch has the power to elicit strong emotions. It can hurt
and it can heal. Touch people in a negative way and you may get a
strong reaction you didn't expect. Touch them in a safe, affirming
and
affectionate way, and you'll probably get just as strong a response -
-
only this one you will welcome.

Touch is powerful for infants. Newborns who are touched will thrive.
Studies have shown that babies deprived of touch have a significantly
higher mortality rate than those who are held and cuddled by caring
adults -- even when the "touched" babies are reared in unsanitary
conditions.

Touch is powerful for teenagers. Teens who are touched communicate
better. Many adolescents assert their independence by refusing to
be hugged by their parents. But most of them will accept a simple
back
or shoulder massage. That act of touch communicates love in a
powerful
way. It will frequently break down emotional barriers and even help
young people to "open" up and talk about what is on their minds.

Touch is powerful for adults. Both men and women who are touched are
happier and healthier. According to University of Colorado
researchers, most adults would like to be touched more. Holding a
hand
or offering a hug can warm hearts and heal relationships like nothing
else can.

Touching is powerful. Learn the art of a caring touch and you'll
discover a magical key that opens the lives and hearts of those you
care about.

-- Steve Goodier
__________


QUOTE
The Sun, with all the planets revolving around it, and depending on
it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as though it had nothing else
in the universe to do. -- Galileo Galilei,

[Rhonda]

ARE YOU PLAYING YOUR MUSIC?

We visited friends recently and sat outside where we watched
paragliders and hang gliders soaring overhead. They rose up into the
sky upon invisible warm currents of air and floated effortlessly by --
trusting in their equipment and their ability to keep them from
crashing into the earth. But isn't that risky? Perhaps it is, but what
a thrill to experience!

My son is a rock climber. Using toeholds and fingertip holds he makes
his way up the shear face of a cliff. Though he fell once and broke
his arm, he's back out there again. Why? Isn't that risky? Perhaps,
but he likes the feeling of satisfaction of conquering the mountain
and succeeding at a difficult endeavor.

We live in wonderful ski country in Utah. But did you know that
numerous people die every year of skiing accidents? Not that skiing is
so dangerous, but there is a certain risk factor in all sports.

And one doesn't have to participate in sports to take a risk. Just buy
stocks and bonds! I've been told that October is one of the riskiest
months to buy stocks. The other dangerous months are January,
February, March, April . . . .

There is risk in all of life. But we have a choice: we can either
live fully or live in fear.

Queen Margareth II of Denmark once said, "I have always had a dread of
being a passenger in life." She never wanted to sit on the sidelines,
be a spectator or just go along for the ride. Life is for living, not
watching.

May Kay Ash, founder of the Mary Kay Company once remarked, "Most of
us die with our music un-played." At the end of your life, you may
have played it safe. But is your music still un-played?

I don't want to die before I've lived! And when I'm ready to go, I
still want to be playing my music.

-- Steve Goodier
__________

__________

P.S. IMMORTALITY
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve
it through not dying. -- Woody Allen

[Rhonda]

WILL YOU JUMP?

You are trapped at the window of a building that is on fire. You hear
a man's voice through the smoke below you shouting, "Jump! I'll catch
you." Will you jump?

The answer probably is: "It depends!" It depends upon how much
immediate danger you believe you are in. Do you have other options?

But it also depends upon how much you know about the person who is
shouting to you. Is this man reliable? Will he let you fall to the
ground or can he be depended upon to support your weight? Can you
trust this person?

So it is with all of our relationships. What do we know about the
people we would like to trust? Are they reliable? Will they be there
tomorrow? Will they stand by you when circumstances change? Can you
depend on them to support you?

It's like a woman who once purchased two watches from a street
salesman on London's Oxford Street. When she asked if the street
vendor could furnish her guarantees, he said, "Certainly, madam. I
can give you five-year, ten-year or even lifetime guarantees." Then he
added, "The only thing I can't guarantee is that I will be here this
time next Monday morning."

It's true that not all people are trustworthy. But it is equally true
that many people can be relied upon, and that our very lives may
depend upon our ability to trust.

It requires some trust to leap into a new relationship, a business
venture or an unknown future. Trust is needed to allow others to hold
us up. It takes trust to jump.

You may be deciding to make a jump. Staying in the burning building is
always an option...but not one you'll want to make for long. And
though it feels risky to leap into the smoke, you may discover there
a safe and secure landing. You may also discover that there are those
who can be trusted -- those who can be relied upon to stand by, to
keep an eye out for you or to cushion your fall. You may discover how
to trust.

Will you risk the fall by trusting others? It can be worth the jump.

-- Steve Goodier

__________


__________

P.S. SUCCESS & FAILURE
If at first you don't succeed, find out if the loser gets
anything. -- Unknown