What Does My Birthstone Say About Me?

There Comes a Time in Life ...

The Optimist's Creed

After a While by Veronica Shoffstaff

After a while you learn
The subtle difference between
Holding a hand and chaining a soul
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't always mean security.

And you begin to learn
That kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes ahead
With the grace of a woman
Not the grief of a child

And you learn
To build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow's ground is
Too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way
Of falling down in mid flight

After a while you learn
That even sunshine burns if you get too much
So you plant your own garden
And decorate your own soul
Instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers

And you learn
That you really can endure
That you are really strong
And you really do have worth
And you learn and you learn
With every good bye you learn.

Veronica A. Shoffstall

Promise Yourself

• To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
• To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
• To make all your friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
• To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
• To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.
• To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
• To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
• To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature you meet.
• To give so much time to improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
• To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
• To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud word, but in great deeds.
• To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side, so long as you are true to the best that is in you.

After A While by by Veronica Shoffstall

Thoughts

Destiny – nothing happens by chance

Luck – is when preparation meets opportunity

The Laws of Attraction – works and is in action

Progress – don’t worry about those I have to leave behind

Stress – time must be spent alone to recoup and rejuvenate

You are the master of your own destiny – I decide what happens to me; don’t look at what others are doing.

Life is what you make it. – I have to go on regardless of who tries to keep me back

New challenge – do what has to be done to get where you want to go. Do not depend fully on any one to collaborate with you on your journey. Each person is on their own journey. What you are looking for on your journey is not necessarily what others will want to include on their journey. Don’t look back, don’t hesitate, GO! Go onward on your journey and remember to enjoy every moment of the journey. "BourMac"

The Serenity Prayer

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. --Reinhold Niebuhr