Thought for the day - Pessimism or optimism: chose

“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.” 

― Alphonse Karr, A Tour Round My Garden

Thought for the day - Patience, forgiveness, compassion, gratitude

"Patience leads to forgiveness which leads to compassion which just might lead to gratitude."

David Markham, UU A Way Of Life, 06/28/14

Thought For The Day - The major theme of salvation?

“Forgiveness is the central theme that runs throughout salvation, holding all its parts in meaningful relationships, the course it runs directed and its outcome sure.” 

ACIM, Lesson 169.12.1

Thought for the day - What does it take for awareness to arise?

"And I wonder, why do I, and everyone I know, require some dire disease to clear a little floor space for forgiveness, forbearance of each other and ourselves?"


Linda McCullough Moore, "Incidents and Dreams," This Road Will Take Us Closer To The Moon, p. 43

Thought For The Day - Have you tasted it, lived it, is it in your bones?

"If God is going to be revised it will take a cadre of spiritual men and women who walk the talk, and know that of which they are trying to speak because they have tasted it, they have lived it, it is part of their experience, in their bones."

David Markham, UU A Way Of Life, 06/25/14

Thought For The Day - "Hey Mom, look at me!"

"It's amazing what you can do, when someone believes in you."

Bumper sticker

Thought for the day - Freedom or prison?

"When you forgive, some deeper, divine generosity takes you over.....When you cannot forgive, you are a prisoner of the hurt done to you."

John O'Donohue, Eternal Echoes

Thought for the day - On what does my happiness depend?

"I finally realized that MY happiness does not depend on what YOU do."

The Holy Spirit speaking to writer,

Thought for the day "They got hymns but nothing else"

     "This singsong woman here tonight (in the nursing home): I want to ask if she knows my mother ( the mother of the patient listening whose mother used to play guitar and sing professionally), what with them both having light-brown hair, both playing the guitar and singing "Side by Side."
     'Oh we ain't got a barrel of money/ maybe we're ragged and funny/ but we'll travel the road/ sharing our load/ side by side.'
     'Do you know my mother?' I ask the woman.
     She scowls and looks around for someone who might rescue her. She's got songs for us, but nothing else."

Linda McCollough Moore, "On My Way Now", The Sun, April, 2014

Thought for the day - How is the philosopher's life going?

I live in the same town I went to college in and I encountered one of my old philosophy professors on the street on Wednesday, June 18, 2014 as he was going to the barbershop. I took philosophy courses from him the late 60s, the last in the Spring semester of 1968.

"Good morning Dr. ___________. How's the philosopher's life going?"

"Oh, I retired some time ago," says Dr. _______.

"You're not practicing anymore I asked quizzically."

"Haven't in some time," he said.

I laughed as I walked away. How does a true philosopher give up practicing philosophy? Maybe he was only teaching academic philosophy and apparently not living the philosopher's life. I thought, gee, it seems like academic philosophy is a lot like many Pastors I know.

Thought for the day - What's that smell?

What did the one eye say to the other eye?

Between you and me something smells.

Thought for the day - Is your religion any fun?

"All my God would care about is whether we had any fun and learned anything from the experience."

Greg, UU A Way Of Life, 06/17/14

Thought of the day - Are you adulterating your being by projecting?

Jesus is saying when we project our own ego stuff onto ourselves and others we are losing faith with the inherent worth and dignity of our being and committing an adultery, our being is being adulterated."

David Markham, UU A Way Of Life, 06/16/14

My Kind Of Church Music - You're so vain, Carly Simon

Thought for the day - What is your role (purpose) in life?

“As you take the role assigned to you, salvation comes a little nearer each uncertain heart that does not beat as yet in tune with God.” 

ACIM, Lesson 169.11:5

Thought For The Day - "I am grateful for..."

Rev. Galen Guengerich suggests that the unique spiritual practice of Unitarian Universalists should be gratitude. In practicing gratitude we become aware that we are utterly dependent on the interconnected web for everything even language which gives us the power to think and be conscious. Practices of gratitude begin with just taking notice and being mindful of the blessings and the grace that bombard us on a minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day basis.

David Markham, UU A Way Of Life, 06/14/14

Thought For The Day - Instead of "God" say "Life"

Neale Donald Walsch, the author of the Conversations with God books, suggests that instead of the word "God" we use the word "Life".

David Markham, UU A Way Of Life, 06/13/14

Thought for the day - Does drama have worth and dignity?

"I see now that my mother, all her life, was playing to an audience. I think it's how she would have liked to end her days: onstage." 

Linda McCullough Moore, in her story, "On My Way Now", in The Sun in April, 2014, p.21

Thought For The Day - Looking at the world in a holy way: playing with the wind

"The little girl would run around the field and I would stand on the sidewalk. I would ask her, "Do you like to play with your kite?" And one day she said, "No, I don't like to play with the kite. I like to play with the wind." That threw me off. She likes to play with the wind, what a different way of looking at things. She is not playing with the kite, she is playing with the wind."

Hugo Kamya, Living Conversations: Interviews With Narrative Therapists

My Kind Of Church Music - Catch The Wind, Donovan

Thought for the day - Do we monitor our actions to fit our words?

"Again, we must monitor our actions to see that they fit our words. Should there not be a fit, our words will ring hollow." 

Rev. Marilyn Sewell referring to the practice of the first principle of Unitarian Universalism

Thought for the day - Do we need to be more modest in our certainty?

"I like the word, 'modesty'. I like the ideas of being more modest about what we know, not claiming what we know to be more certain than it is."


John Winslade, Living Conversations: Interviews With Narrative Therapists, p.50