In the front of my most ragged

bible, recorded on those inside cover pages in the front and back which

I always think beg for something to be written on them, I once scribbled

something to which I have often referred over the years.

Don't know where it came from,

if I heard it or read it somewhere. I don't think it was original although

some of what I have recorded in such space is as original as anything

can be, I suppose, when we all share such a common journey on our way

into eternity.

So what did I write and why

do I recall it today? Read on.

I wrote: "Keep your heart

free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply; expect little; give

much; fill your life with love; scatter sunshine. Forget self. Think of

others, and do as you would be done by."

And you know what? For many

years I really tried to live by that.

Today I woke up wondering if

there is any going back. Can I turn back time and regain some moment when

my heart was free from hate and begin once more? Can I resolve today to

never worry again? Can I find a way to live more simply? When did I begin

to expect so much of myself and others? Love? Does love still rule? Is

my life filled with love now? And those sunbeams, do I really want to

share them or keep them all to myself?

Myself? Could I ever learn

to forget self again and live for others? Live for others. Think of others

... do unto others as I would have others do unto me.

The truth is, and, oh, how

I dislike the truth just now, but the truth is I can't cut the mustard

anymore. I have become more and more self-centered and selfish. I decided

at some point in time I'd rather be a survivor than a saint.

I don't like admitting that.

I can't for the life of me figure out why I would actually record it here,

but what can I say? When those rose-colored glasses fell off a decade

or so ago it began to be harder and harder to "keep my heart free

from hate, my mind from worry, live simply; expect little; give much;

fill my life with love; scatter sunshine, forget myself, think of others,

and do as I would be done by."

Do my thoughts and actions

of the past few years dictate that I cannot go back? No, but reality does.

There is only today and the hope of tomorrow and every sunrise offers

the opportunity for us to begin again. So I can always start anew. Right?

While I continue to ponder

on this let me share with you what prompted this line of thought. Somebody

sent me an e-mail that contained the following story. Read it and see

where your thoughts take you.

"Shake it off and never

give up. ...

"One day a farmer's donkey

fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer

tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old

and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to

try and retrieve the donkey.

"He invited all his neighbors

to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel

dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and

cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few

shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished

at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey

was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

"As the farmer's neighbors

continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and

take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped

up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

"Life is going to shovel

dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is

to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping

stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never

giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

"Remember the five simple

rules to be happy:

"1. Free your heart from

hatred. "2. Free your mind from worries. "3. Live simply. "4.

Give more. "5. Expect less."

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