The most precious
gift we can give those closest to us is honesty.
Yet we often hide our true selves from friends,
fearing we won't be accepted or loved if we let
them see the real us. Often, we show parts of
ourselves that hide who we really are.
We have often
heard ourselves or others say, "My parents would
just die if . . . ," or, "don't argue in front
of the children."
If we hide too
much behind false images, we run the risk of
losing track of what is real and what is
false.
We become actors
instead of real people, trying to please Aunt
Jane, our grandparents, our big brother, or our
children.
When we conquer
our fear of letting others in, we are able to
see ourselves honestly. When we discover that
others accept us as we are, we can accept and
love ourselves.
To know oneself
is to know a person of value.
The reason why birds can fly and we can't
is simply that they
have perfect faith,
for to have faith
is to have wings.
-- James M.
Barrie
As children, we are taught to act and think with
confidence. If we have faith that something
wonderful can happen, it will bring us joy.
Confidence
gives us the will to succeed. Without faith, we
invite despair.
Faith lets
us win by teaming us with love and hope.
When things are
going well, faith encourages growth.
During hard
times, faith falls upon trust for added strength
and inspiration.
It takes such a
small amount of material things to have faith.
Once, a
four-year-old girl found a penny and showed it
proudly to a stranger.
The man scoffed,
"What do you expect to buy with a penny?"
The child with
faith replied, "I can buy a wonderful wish at a
wishing well with it."
What we do upon
some great occasion
will probably
depend on what we already are:
and what we already
are will be the result
of previous years
of self-discipline.
-- H. P.
Viddon
In the ninth inning of the baseball game with a
tie score and the bases loaded, the batter hit a
home run. The fans and the team cheered
wildly, and the batter was jubilant.
What many fans
did not know was that he had been playing on
baseball teams for fifteen years. Many times he
struggled without being noticed.
He wondered if
he was any good or not, and there were days he
had to make himself go out and practice. He made
many mistakes, but his love and dedication for
the game had always won out.
It is the years
of discipline that prepare us for our big
moments in life.
Daily practice
and love give our lives a direction, even
through times of doubt and despair. By doing our
best each day and learning from our mistakes, we
prepare ourselves for the big moments -- the
home runs -- in our lives.
