"Emotional maturity is one of the greatest achievements of psychological awareness.  It is the antithesis of emotional immaturity, which expresses itself whenever it wants to, in whatever fashion it feels like, no matter what the consequences.  Hysteria, pouting, manipulation, whining, withdrawal, sarcasm, attack - all these are forms of emotional immaturity.  They show that the person enacting them is still emotionally young, still not strong enough to act maturely.  When we are emotionally mature, on the other hand, we know that the world does not revolve around us, that solutions to problems, whether circumstantial or emotional, take time and will not necessarily come in exactly the form we imagined.  Emotional maturity has patience, knows when to hold it's tongue, and when to offer a comforting word.  Emotional maturity is a fine art."

Excerpted from A Garland of Love: Daily Reflections on the Magic and Meaning of Love by Daphne Rose Kingma

Courage

“Conscience is the root of all true courage; if a man would be brave let him obey his conscience.”

                                                                James Freeman Clarke

Psalm 121

I lift my eyes to the hills
From where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.

Thoughts to Live By...

A friend of mine recently wrote this, and it had such an impact on me that I wanted to share it:


I am abound with inner strength



I believe in myself


I am a kind and caring person


I am working every day at improving myself


I am hopeful about my future


I am in control of the present


I am at peace with that I cannot control


I am at peace with the past


I am proud of my actions


I am not afraid of my thoughts


I am not afraid of my actions


I am not afraid of speaking my thoughts


I am not afraid of acting


I speak the truth


I speak openly when needed


I listen when needed


I listen because what is said to me is important


I listen because I enjoy what you say to me


I listen because I wish to learn


I will have a full and happy life


I have grace


I have strength of character


I smile with my eyes


I have self worth


I believe in myself


I have endurance


I have persistence


I have a purpose


I have strength


I have determination


I have courage


I have clarity

These words speak for themselves.  They resonated with me, and I hope to live my life from a perspective like this.

Pistols and Parachutes - When I Fall

Our talented son and nephew! :-)

Believing in Impossible Things...

" 'There is no use trying', said Alice; 'one can't believe impossible things'.

 'I dare say you haven't had much practice', said the Queen. 'When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.' "


Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland

Jim Cuddy - Pull Me Through

We've always been big Blue Rodeo fans, so when Jim Cuddy did a solo album this became a favorite. This song is one that I could listen to over and over and over....