Quotes, Poems, and Inspirational Stuff

"But we should not let time pull us apart and make us unsure of each other. We won't have the endless nights, but our endless strength will keep us together." - Tiffany

"You don't really have to show it that you love someone.. it's like something you and your partner can tell just by the way it feels inside." - Torin

"Life is about fulfillment of what you treasure or working the effort of focusing to find it. This is why many seek love. Others sometimes find it." "Treasure what you have now and think to build upon what you want to have in the future." - Terry Kingry "Friendship has to be reciprocal -- a give and take arrangement of nurturing and growing together. It takes commitment. Investment. Time. Lasting friendship requires a genuine interest in the other person. It can rarely be one-sided and live. ...if the friendship is very deep or lasts any length of time, it will be characterized by a mutual give and take over the long haul. At times the giving will also need to be sacrificial." - Luci Swindoll "Life is a journey from one point to another. You know where you will end up, but you don't know what route will get you there." - Andrew Shroads

"There are many people that we meet in our lives but only a very few will make a lasting impression on our minds and hearts. It is these people that we will think of often and who will always remain important to us as true friends." - Susan Polis Schutz

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

"A PERFECT GIFT" "Love is always building up. It puts some line of beauty on every life it touches. It gives new hope to discouraged ones, new strength to those who are weak. It helps the despairing to rise and start again. It makes life seem more worthwhile to everyone into whose eyes it looks. Its words are benedictions. Its every breath is full of inspiration." - Anonymous		"TRANSITIONS..." Involuntary family changes, loss of loved ones, removal of emotionally protective masks, upheavals in relationships. "Transitions are a normal part of life and an inward journey. W. Bridges, author of Transistions, describes them also as a time of opportunity. Approached wisely, they become stopping-off places, platforms from which to take in the sweep of where we have been, who we are now, and where we want to go. A transistion is a time to retool, rediscover, and redefine who you are." - Patricia "Poppy" Smith
"VOCATION" "The voice we should listen to most as we choose a vocation is the voice that we might think we should listen to least, and that is the voice of our own gladness. What can we do that makes us the gladdest, what can we do that leaves us with the strongest sense of sailing true north and of peace, which is much of what gladness is? Is it making things with our hands out of wood or stone or paint or canvas? Or is it making something we hope like truth out of words? Or is it making people laugh or weep in a way that cleanses their spirit? I believe that if it is a thing that makes us truly glad, then it is a good thing and it is our thing and it is the calling voice that we were made to answer with our lives." - Frederick Buechner		"FIVE LANGUAGES OF LOVE" "The languages are words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, quality time, and physical touch. Of these, each person has a primary love language. One means more to you than all the other. You may appreciate all of them, but one will speak to you more deeply. Seldom does a husband and wife have the same primary love language. A husband's primary love language may be physical touch and the wife's, quality time. Neither of them will feel loved if they are not speaking the right love language. He may express love by showing her acts of service (hard work, providing for the family) and gifts, but neither of those is her primary love language. If you can keep each other's love tanks full, you are far more likely to accomplish the other objectives that God has in mind for each of your lives." - Gary D. Chapman
"But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the most high. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful." (Luke 6:35-36; NKJV)		"To show mercy is to reach out, even when the other has turned away. It is to entrust our heart, even when the other is untrustworthy; it is to give, even when our gift may not be received. To show mercy is to build bridges across the troubled waters of our shared and fearful lives. Showing mercy is making room for one another in our hearts. It is the deepest meaning of hospitality, making a home for the other within our lives." - Gene Davenport

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ... Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:25-26,31-34; NKJV)

"I always knew I'd look back at the tears and laugh, but I never thought that I'd look back at the laughs and cry." "Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." "A friend is someone who reaches out for your hand...and touches your heart." "How lucky I am to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye to." "Your friends will know you better in the first minute they meet you than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years." "When you took my hand, you held my heart. As you walk away, gently kiss my hand, and you will kiss my heart... Goodbye." "Goodbye hurts so bad, but does not leave me empty...for your absence is more to me than others' presence." "People so seldom say I love you and then it's either too late or love goes, so when I tell you that I love you, it doesn't mean I know you'll never go, only that I wish you didn't have to..." "Heaven was in your arms, and now to lose you is to lose my Heaven." "I had put a wall around my heart, but then you came and my love was lost. And when you said good-bye, my heart went with you for do or die." "The best feelings are those that have no words to describe them."

LOVE QUOTES "Each day I love you more Today more than yesterday And less than tomorrow." - Rosemonde Gerard "When you wanna hold someone, You gotta hold 'em Like it's the last minute of your life." "But for now, sir, I'm happy where I am, I feel no need for more, Unless it be even more of your love, The one worth dying for." "True love is friendship caught on fire." "True love is falling asleep in someone's arms, and waking up in their dreams." "I never knew dawn could break With peace so deep and hope so wide, 'Til that first morning when I awoke, And you lay sleeping by my side." - Robert Sexton "For it was not into my ear you whispered, But into my heart; It was not my lips you kissed, But my soul." - Judy Garland "Maybe it's intuition, Some things you just don't question, Like in your eyes I see my future in an instant, And there it goes I think I found my best friend." - "I Knew I Loved You," a song by Savage Garden "I spent last night dreaming of your eyes, But your hair kept getting in the way. Your lips dropped in to tell me how you'd been, But when I tried to kiss them, My pillow told me I'd missed them. Your voice dropped by and sang a lullaby, And it was then I knew just what to do. I'd fall asleep and then, I'd dream of you again." - "I'll Dream of You Again," a song by Harry Connick Jr. "Through the eyes of love, everything takes on new meaning." "Never close your lips to those whom you have opened your heart." "Distance is a small number compared to a love that can last a lifetime." "Love is like a violin. The music may stop now and then, But the strings remain forever." - June Masters Bacher "Two things only a man cannot hide: That he is drunk, And that he is in love." - Antiphanes "You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be, And I don't want to go home right now..." - "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls from the movie "City of Angels" "Somewhere, there is someone who dreams of your smile, And finds in your presence that life is worthwhile. So when you are lonely, remember it's true, That somebody, somewhere, is thinking of you." - Jared Miranda "Love me without fear, Trust me without questioning, Need me without demanding, Want me without restictions, Accept me without change, Desire me without inhibitions, For a love so free... Will never fly away." - Dick Sutphen "So if there is anything at all, All you've got to do is call, And you know that I would Drive 10,000 miles, Just to show you that I care, Just to kiss your honey hair, And pull you close, And hold you like a child. Love heals everything, We're no exception to that rule." - "You Mean Everything to Me," a song by Shawn Mullins

The old man turned to me and asked, "How many friends have you?" Why 10 or 20 friends have I, And named off just a few; He rose quite slow with effort And sadly shook his head. "A lucky child you are To have so many friends," he said, But think of what you're saying There is so much you do not know A friend is just not someone To whom you say "Hello." A friend's a tender shoulder On which to softly cry; A well to pour your troubles down And raise your spirits high. A friend is a hand to pull you up From darkness and despair... When all your other "so-called" friends Have helped to put you there. A true friend is an ally Who can't be moved or bought; A voice to keep your name alive When others have forgot. But most of all a friend is a heart A strong and sturdy wall; For from the hearts of friends There comes the greatest love of all!!! So think of what I've spoken For every word is true; And answer once again, my child How many friends have you?? And then he stood and faced me Awaiting my reply; Softly I answered "If lucky......one have "I" ... "You!!!"

ISLAND OF FEELINGS Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all repaired their boats and left. Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to persevere until the last possible moment. When the island was almost sinking, Love decided to ask for help. Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, "Richness, can you take me with you?" Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you." Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel, "Vanity, please help me!" "I can't help you Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered. Sadness was close by so Love asked for help, "Sadness, let me go with you." "Oh...Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!" Happiness passed by Love too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her! Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come Love, I will take you." It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that he even forgot to ask the elder her name. When they arrived on dry land, the elder went her own way. Love, realizing how much he owed the elder, asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who helped me?" "It was Time," Knowledge answered. "Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?" Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is."

RULES OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP We cannot really love someone who never makes us laugh. A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out. Begin the day with friendliness, keep friendly all day long, keep in your soul a friendly thought, your heart a friendly song. When a friend is in trouble, don't ask if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it. Some people make the world special just by being in it. The heart that loves is always young. Love is earth and sky and warmth and light. Actions, not words, are the true criteria of the attachment of friends. Love pours sweetness into anything. For an instant, love can transform the world. Take hold gently, let go gently. This is a great source to happiness in love. Only friends will tell you the truths you need to hear to make your life bearable. Not even poets have measured how much love a heart can hold. Only with the heart can we see rightly, the essential is invisible to the eye. Love is feeling another's delight as your own. Love consists of this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other. You love simply because you cannot help it. Love makes you believe in miracles. Instead of a gem, or even a flower, cast the gift of a lovely thought into the heart of a friend. Love is, above all, the gift of oneself.

101 MOST ROMANTIC/PASSIONATE/SWEET THINGS TO DO FOR YOUR SPOUSE Watch the sunset together. Take showers together. Back rubs/massages. Listen to classical music and cuddle in the dark or with blacklight. French kiss. Hold her with hands inside the back of her shirt. Whisper to each other. Cook for each other. Skinny dip. Make out in the rain. Dress each other. Undress each other. Kiss every part of their body. Hold hands. Sleep together (actually sleep with each other, not sex). One word: Foreplay Sit and talk in just underwear. Buy gifts for each other. Roses. Find out their favorite cologne/perfume and wear it every time you're together. Wear his clothes. Find a nice secluded place to lie and watch the stars. Incense/candles/oils/blacklights and music make for great cuddling and sex. Kiss at every chance you get. Don't wear underwear and let the other find out. Kinky is bad. Blindfolds are good. Lightly kiss their collarbone and their jawbone just below the ear, then whisper I love you. Bubble baths. Go for a long walk down the beach at midnight. Make love. Write poetry for each other. Kiss/smell her hair. Hugs are the universal medicine. Say I love you, only when you mean it and make sure the other knows you mean it. Give random gifts of flowers/candy/poetry, etc. Tell her that she's the only girl you ever want. Don't lie. Spend every second possible together. Tell her that she doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to. And mean it. Look into each other's eyes. Very lightly push up her chin, look into her eyes, tell her you love her, and kiss her lightly. Talk to each other using only body language and your eyes. When in public, only flirt with each other. Walk behind her and put your hands in her front pockets. Put love notes in their pockets when they aren't looking. Clothes are no fun. Buy her a ring. Keep one of her bras somewhere where you see it everyday. Sing to each other. Read to each other. PDA = Public Display of Affection. Take advantage of any time alone together. Tell her about how you answered every question in math with her name. Draw (if you can). Let her sit on your lap. Go hiking and camp out together in the woods or on a mountain. Lips were made for kissing. So were eyes, and fingers, and cheeks, and collarbones, and hands, and ears.... Kiss her stomach. Always hold her around her hips/sides. Guys like half-shirts. Take her to dinner and do the dinner for two deal. Spaghetti. (Ever see Lady and the Tramp?) Hold her hand, stare into her eyes, kiss her hand, and then put it over your heart. Unless you can feel their heart beating, you aren't close enough. Dance together. Sit in front of a roaring fire and make out / make love. Love the way a girl looks right after she's fallen asleep with her head in your lap. Carry her to bed. Waterbeds are fun. You figure it out. Do cute things like write I love you in a note so that they have to look in a mirror to read it. Break every one of your parent's relationship rules for them. Make excuses to call them every 5 minutes. Even if you are really busy doing something, go out of your way to call and say I love you. Call from your vacation spot to tell them you were thinking about them. Remember your dreams and tell her about them. Ride your bike 8 miles just to see them for a few hours. Ride home and call them. Tell each other your most sacred secrets/fears. Somehow incorporate them into any kind of religion or worship you have. Be Prince Charming to her parents. (Brownie Points!) Act out mutual fantasies together (not necessarily sexual). Brush her hair out of her face for her. Stay up all night to think of 101 ways to be sweet to them. Hang out with his/her friends (more brownie points). Go to church/pray/worship together. Take her to see a romantic movie and remember the parts she liked. Cuddle together under a full moon on a clear night. Learn from each other and don't make the same mistake twice. Everyone deserves a second chance. Describe the joy you feel just to be with him/her. Make sacrifices for each other. Really love each other, or don't stay together. Write a fictional story about how you met/fell in love, etc. and give it to the other. Let there never be a second during any given day that you aren't thinking about them, and make sure they know it. Love yourself before you love anyone else. Learn to say sweet things in foreign languages. Dedicate songs to them on the radio. Fall asleep on the phone with each other. Sleep naked together. Stand up for them when someone talks trash. Never forget the kiss goodnight. And always remember to say, "Sweet dreams."

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground. "That's my son over there," she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide. "He's a fine looking boy," the man said. "That's my son on the swing in the blue sweater." Then, looking at his watch, he called to his son. "What do you say we go, Todd?" Todd pleaded, "Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes." The man nodded and Todd continued to swing to his heart's content. Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his son. "Time to go now?" Again Todd pleaded, "Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes." The man smiled and said, "O.K." "My, you certainly are a patient father," the woman responded. The man smiled and then said, "My older son Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I'd give anything for just five more minutes with him. I've vowed not to make the same mistake with Todd. He thinks he has five more minutes to swing. "The truth is, I get five more minutes to watch him play."

"Daddy, how much do you make an hour?" With a timid voice and idolizing eyes, the little boy greeted his father as he returned from work. Greatly surprised, but giving his boy a glaring look, the father said: "Look, sonny, not even your mother knows that. Don't bother me now, I'm tired." "But, Daddy, just tell me please! How much do you make an hour?" the boy insisted. The father, finally giving up, replied: "Twenty dollars per hour." "Okay, Daddy. Could you loan me ten dollars?" the boy asked. Showing his restlessness and positively disturbed, the father yelled: "So that was the reason you asked how much I earn, right? Go to sleep and don't bother me anymore!" It was already dark and the father was meditating on what he said and was feeling guilty. Maybe, he thought, his son wanted to buy something. Finally, trying to ease his mind, the father went to his son's room. "Are you asleep, son?" asked the father. "No, Daddy. Why?" replied the boy, partially asleep. "Here's the money asked for earlier," the father said. "Thanks, Daddy!" rejoiced the son, while putting his hand under his pillow and removing some money. "Now I have enough! Now I have twenty dollars!" the boy said to his father, who was gazing at his son, confused at what his son had just said. "Daddy, could you sell me one hour of your time?"

NATURAL HIGHS Falling in love. Having your 2:00 class cancelled on a beautiful day. Laughing so hard your face hurts. Watching a child do something for the first time after you taught them. A great idea. A scholarship. A hot shower. No line at the book return. A hug. A special glance. Acting in the theater. Tailgating on a warm Saturday. Clean sheets. Getting mail. Walking your dog. Love. Listening to your walkman. Falling asleep in the sun on a cool day. Taking a drive on a pretty road. Hugging a big teddy bear. Playing miniature golf. Getting a strike in bowling. Catching your soap on a Friday. Working on a successful project with a good friend. Going out to dinner. Getting an "A" on a paper. Going out on a Saturday night, coming home sober and having had a great time. Going dancing. Not getting carded. Listening to loud music. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside. Walking out of your last final. Finding the sweater you want is on sale for half price. A chocolate milkshake. Getting a good grade. Oreo ice cream. Finding out there is no final in a hard class. Getting accepted to a program abroad. A long distance phone call. Birthday cakes. Going to the movies. Your favorite lunch. Getting invited to a dance. Being a senior. Clean laundry. Not having an 8:00 class. A bubble bath. Giggling. Holding someone you love in front of a fireplace. Being in love. Whitewater rafting. A ski trip. Seeing someone you love do something outstanding. Making the winning score. Rollercoasters. Spring Break. A Saturday shopping trip with a good friend. Being told you did an excellent job by your peers. Going home for Thanksgiving break. Chocolate chip cookies. A care package. Seeing the Grand Canyon. Sliding down a waterslide. Taking a walk singing Christmas carols. Sledding during a fresh snowfall. Hearing a song that reminds you of someone you love. Running your best time. Watching a beautiful sunset. Hugging your mom or dad. Being yourself. Holding a kitten. When your boss says "Perfect". When your dog jumps around because he is happy to see you. When a friend says "You're someone special." A clear day at the beach. Pay day. An unexpected present. Knowing someone really understands. A suprise visit from a friend. Seeing a shooting star. Fresh flowers. A special smile. Finding quarters for your laundry. Solving a problem. Eating. Laughing at yourself. Watching a candle burn. Saying "I love you". Slam Dunk 360 degrees. Being the ACC champs. Midnight phone calls that last for hours. Driving in the rain. Walking in downtown Buenos Aires in the Spring. Sex on the beach. Walking barefoot in the sand. Snowboarding/skiing on a beautiful day. Scoring a goal in a game. Dancing with a beautiful man. Singing cheesy songs with your friends. Marshmallows over campfires. Crying in the rain. Camping in the mountains. Resting after hiking all day. Hugging your daddy. Watching the sun rise over the river after dancing all night. Taking off high heels. Walking barefoot on wet grass. Running through the sprinklers. Building a fire on the beach with your friends. Screaming at a fan-filled game of "futbol" ( the real football). Laughing for absolutely no reason at all. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful. Getting all hot and sweaty and then diving into a cold mountain lake. Sleeping naked in silk sheets. Taking off your ski boots after a days skiing. Multiple orgasms. Reading a book for pure enjoyment. A great night out with the "girls." Walking out of your last class on a Friday without any homework. Rollerblading on the first sunny day of the spring with friends. Daylight savings time. "Picnic" lunches by the millstream. Watching someone you love make the right decision. Hearing Dad's (or Mom's) voice on the answering machine. The smell of freshly picked flowers as you walk into your room. Watching an outdoor baseball game on a great day. Holding hands. Going to Disneyland. Writing a poem. Picking your friend up at the airport who has been away from home since March. Wearing a Mickey Mouse watch. Walking outside to find a sunny warm day, realizing how much God loves you, and slamming a five. Holding someone's hand when you know you have their heart. Sleeping underneath the stars. Going from boyfriend/girlfriend to fiancee. Climbing to the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. Backrubs. Finishing something you didn't think was possible. Midafternoon naps in the sun. Innertubing (in the snow or water). Planning your own wedding. Meeting an old friend unexpectably. Harvest moons. Appreciating the majesty of God's creations. When someone says they believe in you. Good music... Now Can You Think Of One To Add?

EVERY MOMENT IS PRECIOUS To realize the value of ONE THOUSAND YEARS Ask a programmer who has programmed with 2 digits for the year's value. To realize the value of ONE HUNDRED YEARS Ask a Hong Kong resident who has witnessed the Handover. To realize the value of SEVENTY YEARS Ask a dying Christian who has never shared the Gospel with others. To realize the value of FORTY YEARS Ask an Israelite who has traveled in the wilderness. To realize the value of SEVEN YEARS Ask a professor who did not get his sabbatical leave. To realize the value of FOUR YEARS Ask a U.S. president who was not re-elected for the second term. To realize the value of ONE YEAR Ask a student who has failed to promote to next grade. To realize the value of ONE MONTH Ask a mother who has given birth to a pre-mature baby. To realize the value of ONE WEEK Ask an editor of a weekly. To realize the value of ONE DAY Ask a daily wage laborer. To realize the value of ONE HOUR Ask a driver who is getting stuck in traffic. To realize the value of ONE-HALF HOUR Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet. To realize the value of ONE MINUTE Ask a person who has missed the plane. To realize the value of ONE SECOND Ask a person who has survived an accident. To realize the value of ONE-TENTH SECOND Ask the person who has won a silver medal in Olympics. To realize the value of ONE MILLI-SECOND Ask the (electric) power engineer who has brought darkness to a city. To realize the value of ONE MICRO-SECOND Ask the person who has bought a Pentimum machine. To realize the value of ONE NANO-SECOND Ask the digital circuit designer who has just promoted. To realize the value of ONE PICO-SECOND Ask the analog circuit designer who has filed many patents. To realize the value of ONE FEMTO-SECOND Ask the physicist who has won the Nobel prize. Treasure every moment that you have! - Jackson Leung

DON'T QUIT When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must but don't you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As everyone of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When you might have won, had you stuck it out. Don't give up though the pace seems slow-- You may succeed with another blow. Success is failure turned inside out-- The silver tint of the clouds of doubt. And you never can tell how close you are; It may be near when it seems so far. So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-- It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.