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Sunday Thought For The Day

and then there was light.
Creative Commons License photo credit: matt.hintsa

These Are My Wishes For You

May you find seren­ity and tran­quil­ity
in a world you may not always understand.

May the pain you have known
and the con­flict you have expe­ri­enced
give you the strength to walk through life
fac­ing each new sit­u­a­tion with courage and optimism.

Always know that there are those
whose love and under­stand­ing will always be there,
even when you feel most alone.

May a kind word,
a reas­sur­ing touch,
and a warm smile
be yours every day of your life,
and may you give these gifts
as well as receive them.

May the teach­ings of those you admire
become part of you,
so that you may call upon them.

Remem­ber, those whose lives you have touched
and who have touched yours
are always a part of you,
even if the encoun­ters were less than you would have wished.
It is the con­tent of the encounter
that is more impor­tant than its form.

May you not become too con­cerned with mate­r­ial mat­ters,
but instead place immea­sur­able value
on the good­ness in your heart.
Find time in each day to see beauty and love
in the world around you.

Real­ize that what you feel you lack in one regard
you may be more than com­pen­sated for in another.
What you feel you lack in the present
may become one of your strengths in the future.
May you see your future as one filled with promise and pos­si­bil­ity.
Learn to view every­thing as a worth­while experience.

May you find enough inner strength
to deter­mine your own worth by your­self,
and not be depen­dent
on another’s judg­ment of your accomplishments.

May you always feel loved.

~ San­dra Sturtz Hauss

Lance writes sto­ries from his heart, aim­ing to inspire and moti­vate, as you align more fully with YOUR true peak. When he’s not here, you can find him hang­ing out with his fam­ily, rid­ing a bike, or just gen­er­ally act­ing goofy.   Sign up for the Thoughts from the Tree­house newslet­ter and get addi­tional inspi­ra­tion in your email inbox!
Lance Ekum
View all posts by Lance Ekum

Comments

  1. Davina says:

    Well hello there Lance. You have a knack for choos­ing the most won­der­ful pho­tographs for your posts and this one is no excep­tion. “May you see your future as one filled with promise and pos­si­bil­ity.” A great line to focus on as one year is com­pleted and another begins. Happy hol­i­days :-)
    .-= Davina´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Haiku, Take Me Home =-.

  2. What a beau­ti­ful thought and I love the pic­ture. The whole thing spoke to me. But the part that spoke the most :
    “May you find enough inner strength
    to deter­mine your own worth by your­self,
    and not be depen­dent
    on another’s judg­ment of your accomplishments”

    Thanks for your Sun­day thought Lance! Have a great day with the fam!

    Natalia :)

  3. Hilda says:

    Hi Lance,

    like Natalia, it all spoke to me. If we would live all our lives by this advice we would be cre­at­ing a charmed and won­der­ful life for our­selves! For me, the line that’s going straight onto a post-it is: “Find time in each day to see beauty and love in the world around you.” Love it :-)
    .-= Hilda´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Do unto your­self as you would do unto oth­ers =-.

  4. miruspeg says:

    Lance I believe wishes and dreams can come true. I will take these beau­ti­ful words with me and share them wide and far. These pos­i­tive words will be planted and sown and the rip­ple effect with be amaz­ing.
    You are amaz­ing, may your light always shine.
    Hugs
    Peggy xxxx
    .-= miruspeg´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..A Few Mem­o­ries =-.

  5. Caity says:

    First of all, I love the photo. It is so beau­ti­ful and fantasy-like! I love this post. It really is awe­some and I hope that it becomes true for me always. They are such impor­tant traits to live by.

  6. Jeanne says:

    Beau­ti­ful
    and Merry Christ­mas to you
    Love and bless­ings
    Jeanne
    .-= Jeanne´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..All is Calm =-.

  7. Hilary says:

    Hi Lance — won­der­ful post .. true words for us all.

    May we all have our wishes, our dreams start to come true in 2010, start­ing will lead to great things
    May we all enjoy Christ­mas and New Year peace­fully, grate­fully, hap­pily and with love

    These sen­ti­ments are sent to you all -
    Hilary Melton-Butcher
    Pos­i­tive Let­ters Inspi­ra­tional Sto­ries
    .-= Hilary´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Kiss­ing under the Mistle­toe — how did it all begin? and Asterix! =-.

  8. As the oth­ers said, ALL of this speaks to me, we humans are all so alike in our needs. Remem­ber­ing that the love those who have touched us lives on is really true. Love is time­less , like you and your sweet spirit, Lance.
    .-= Jan­nie Funster´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..With Not A Dry Parental Eye In The House =-.

  9. Suzie Cheel says:

    Happy Christ­mas, what a won­der­ful poem to cel­e­brate not just a time of joy but a cei­tudel­e­bra­tion of life . you have such a tal­ent you share with us
    in grat­i­tude
    love and hugs
    Suzie
    .-= Suzie Cheel´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Planet Earth– A Gift =-.

  10. Miz says:

    I love this, Lance.
    It reminds me of the song Sab­bath Prayer from Fid­dler.
    I adore those lyrics and sing them to my daugh­ter (as she rolls her 4 year old eyes :) ) ofter.
    .-= Miz´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..A Miz­Fit Hanukkah. =-.

  11. Lance,
    the words are just so true…somewhat like a prayer for our­self and for the world around us. Its so per­fect to think of while this year ends and new one begins…I love the pic­ture too.
    Most of all may we all truly and nat­u­rally feel loved and blessed :)
    Thank you fro shar­ing these beau­ti­ful words my friend. I can always count on you to make my Sun­day Per­fectly Won­der­ful.
    Love and Happy Hol­i­days :)
    Z
    .-= Zeenat{Positive Provocations}´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Pos­i­tively Change The World{Inspirational Thought} =-.

  12. Diane AZ says:

    Beau­ti­ful light and shad­ows in the pic­ture. Hauss’ advice is so peace­ful… “Learn to view every­thing as a worth­while expe­ri­ence.” Things that we might be tempted to label as neg­a­tive, such as shad­ows, are vital parts of the whole pic­ture. To say they shouldn’t exist is to argue with real­ity, which is insane. It’s all good!
    .-= Diane AZ´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..After­noon Sun and Shad­ows =-.

  13. Exactly what Ineeded this morning…thank you Lance
    .-= Trish @IamSucceeding´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Look­ing Back…Reflections 2009 =-.

  14. Cath Lawson says:

    Hi Lance — Ditto what oth­ers have said — this speaks to me too. It’s like the per­fect blue­print on how to live. And I agree with Davina — your photo choice is awesome.

  15. Dorothy says:

    My first visit what a beau­ti­ful blog and absolutely pre­cious words to savor..

    Dorothy from gram­mol­ogy
    grammology.com
    .-= Dorothy´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..What do the hol­i­days mean to you? =-.

  16. Laurie says:

    May the pain you have known
    and the con­flict you have expe­ri­enced
    give you the strength to walk through life
    fac­ing each new sit­u­a­tion with courage and optimism.

    While walk­ing through the dark­ness and pain of that very dif­fi­cult time in my life was hor­rif­i­cally dif­fi­cult, it brought me to a place of refine­ment that I wouldn’t be with­out it. I am not thank­ful for the pain and dif­fi­cul­ties but I am thank­ful that they weren’t wasted. God promises to work all things for good, and he is true to his promise.

  17. Mark Salinas says:

    You always seem to find them Lance…very good! Thanks for this!
    .-= Mark Salinas´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Hol­i­day Thoughts =-.

  18. Fitarella says:

    Thank you for this Lancey. Beau­ti­ful, just beau­ti­ful and a very timely for me. Thank you.
    .-= Fitarella´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Pro­tected: Addic­tion =-.

  19. Lance, read­ing that gave me chills. I don’t think my words of grat­i­tude could match or ade­quately describe the feel­ing you’ve given me today. ( * bow * )
    ~ Namaste ~
    .-= Megan “Joy­Girl!” Bord´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Funny Cook­ies =-.

  20. Lance says:

    @Davina — Hi Davina. This photo really jumped out at me, with the light stream­ing in from behind the tree — it just seemed so well suited for this poem. And yes, our futures are what we each see as pos­si­ble — we are lim­ited only by our­selves. Some­times it may not feel that way, although I really do believe that. Have a won­der­ful Christmas!

    @Natalia — This whole poem really is uplift­ing. And the part you high­lighted, Natalia, is one so worth really let­ting soak into our soul. It can be easy to let the naysay­ers of life bring us down a cou­ple of notches. We don’t have to let that hap­pen, though. We can always choose. Today I choose to not be weighted down by those who judge me with­out fully know­ing. That part really speaks to me, too. Happy Sun­day Natalia!

    @Hilda — Hi Hilda. Yes, these words speak to really being okay with the life we have and in see­ing all that can be. And see­ing the beauty and love in the world around us — what a sweet way to really find com­pas­sion for all that is around us. Enjoy your day, Hilda!

    @Peggy — I believe they can come true, too! The more peo­ple that read these words, and even more than that, the more peo­ple that really and deeply believe these words — will bring such pos­i­tive vibra­tions to our world! You do, Peggy…always!!!

    @Caity — I love this photo too, so peace­ful. It can be true for you, Caity — these words. Let them become a part of you, believe in all that can be, and let love be your com­pass. I know that this is all in you…

    @Jeanne — Merry Christ­mas Jeanne! And thank you for being here!

    @Hilary — Hi Hilary. These really are won­der­ful words, aren’t they! And our dreams CAN come true…if we believe, and act on these beliefs. And that’s a very won­der­ful thing about our life here on earth, how it is lim­ited only by our own imag­i­na­tion. Merry Christ­mas to you, my friend!

  21. Lance says:

    @Jannie — Jan­nie, thank you. Your words are won­der­ful, kind, car­ing, and sweet. Know that I see that so much in you, too — your spirit shines through always, and touches on some­thing deeper in the con­nec­tions you make. Shine on, friend…

    @Suzie — Merry Christ­mas Suzie!! This seemed so fit­ting for this time of year, as many cel­e­brate hol­i­days and really time together with fam­ily. And that very much shines of love and life. Like you, Suzie — you send such pos­i­tive and affirm­ing vibes out into the world, into my world. Send­ing love and hugs back to you, my friend.

    @Miz — And that all reminds me of the hap­pi­ness and peace that we can all expe­ri­ence in our lives — it is there. And…your daugh­ter rolls her eyes now…just wait!! Miz, your con­ta­gious atti­tude for life is so sus­tain­ing — thank you, always, for being here.

    @Zeenat — With the hol­i­day sea­son here, and a new year right around the cor­ner, this just seemed so fit­ting to think about. And espe­cially the end of this, that we always feel loved. Because some­times we may not — but we can always choose to love our­selves. Always. Zeenat, it is so good to have you here, you pres­ence is a calm­ing one — and deeply appre­ci­ated. May the rest of your Sun­day be beautiful…

    @Diane AZ — This photo really grabbed me…with the light stream­ing in behind the tree — beau­ti­ful! Every expe­ri­ence we have, there is some­thing there for us. We may not see it right away, but I really do believe that it is there… And that is all good, indeed. Diane, thank you for all your sup­port and caring…

    @Trish — This just really hits the spot, doesn’t it! Thanks much, Trish!

    @Cath — Hi Cath. Yes, this is cer­tainly a blue­print for liv­ing a beau­ti­ful life. And I’m glad you like the photo — I too found it to be so fit­ting for this poem…

  22. Lisis says:

    Ditto, word for word, to what Megan said. Thank you for always set­ting such a pos­i­tive tone to the start of my new week. :)
    .-= Lisis´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Why Do You Fear Being Great, You Yellow-Bellied Cow­ard? =-.

  23. suzen says:

    Hi Lance!
    AWE­some!!!! That is beyond a doubt the most beau­ti­ful wish list I have ever read! And the photo — WOW
    it’s the light of love itself I’m sure!
    Wish­ing you and yours all things joy­ous!
    suZen

  24. Lance says:

    @Dorothy — Thanks for vis­it­ing today, Dorothy! These really are words to let soak in and savor.

    @Laurie — Lau­rie, I know that you are in a good place now. That cer­tainly doesn’t make the moments of days in the past any eas­ier — I know, though, that you have found the good in all of this. Lau­rie, you are a shin­ing exam­ple of car­ing and com­pas­sion, and that is a beau­ti­ful thing to see. Thanks so much for your pres­nece in my life, and for being here today.

    @Mark Sali­nas — Great to see you Mark!! This is so good to read and let just set­tle in.

    @Fitarella — Hey Jacq-Smack!! It is really great to have you here today! And you make me smile…as always! Speak­ing of smiles..yours is so won­der­ful to see! Send­ing love and warmth (and even a cou­ple of dead­lifts!) your way…

    @Megan — Megan, know that your being here is always so, so good. You have a way with words that is touch­ing and sweet. I know, too, that you mean what you are say­ing here — and I find that to be very soul-connecting. You are a gift in my life…

    @Lisis — Lisis, and ditto to what I have said to Megan. I con­nect very deeply with you, and hav­ing you in my life is a gift. Shine on, my friend…

    @Suzen — Hi Suzen. With Christ­mas and all it’s busy­ness and gift-buying upon us, see­ing this wish list really sits upon our heart, doesn’t it. A list that, if we had all of this…always..our life would be not for want. Suzen, thank you for always being such a bea­con of hope here.

  25. Hi Lance!
    What a beau­ti­ful mes­sage! Thank you so much. I love this poem–it is a def­i­nite keeper!
    .-= Jodi at Joy Discovered´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Love, Love, Love =-.

  26. Evita says:

    Just beau­ti­ful Lance! Truly beautiful!

    And what a per­fect time to share this message/poem with all of us Lance. Impec­ca­ble tim­ing!
    .-= Evita´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..It’s A Won­der­ful Life and Your Role In It Is Irre­place­able =-.

  27. Caroline says:

    Well now…this is a per­fect thing to read on Sun­day and my birth­day! :) What a gift. Lance, what would this silly world be like with­out you? Thank you for con­tin­u­ing to share the love and light with us. Many many bless­ings to you today and every­day!
    .-= Caroline´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..It’s kind of like this… =-.

  28. Mindful Mimi says:

    The sim­ple wis­dom of life. Won­der­ful. Thanks Lance for shar­ing. And I wish you the same and all that you wish for your­self.
    M
    .-= Mind­ful Mimi´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Christ­mas Sun­day laugh =-.

  29. Hi Lance,

    What a beau­ti­ful poem! It speaks to my heart so much. That was won­der­ful. Thank you so much for shar­ing it with all of us.

    Love is truly the most pow­er­ful force in the Uni­verse and it is some­thing that we all have the capac­ity to give. The more we give of it, the more we get of it. How­ever, we need to give love not out of a desire to get love back but because it is the right thing to do.

    A per­son can have all the money in the world but if they do not have love, they have nothing.

    Merry Christ­mas to you! :)
    .-= Nadia — Happy Lotus´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Search­ing For Some Soul =-.

  30. Linda Abbit says:

    Stun­ning photo to accom­pany a beau­ti­ful poem (prayer?), Lance! I plan on shar­ing it with many in my world!

    Thanks for shar­ing so much beauty (inner and outer) with us this year.

    Send­ing loads of wishes for a peace­ful and love-filled hol­i­day sea­son with your dear ones and a spec­tac­u­lar new year for us all. XO
    .-= Linda Abbit´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Sea­sons Greet­ings from Ten­der Lov­ing Elder­care =-.

  31. Angelia Sims says:

    This is beau­ti­ful, peace­ful, and enrich­ing. It aches with hope, and trust, that every­thing is on the right path. We can boldly step for­ward glanc­ing back. It brims with con­fi­dence and assur­ance.
    I love this pic­ture. It is so rare to see snow like that here.

    :-) Happy Sun­day Lance.
    .-= Angelia Sims´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..A Stun­ning Christ­mas =-.

  32. Audra Krell says:

    Merry Christ­mas Lance!!!! Love the encour­age­ment to not let oth­ers define who I am! I find my worth from God alone, although it can be hard to remem­ber that some­times. Your friend­ship is price­less, this time of year and always.
    .-= Audra Krell´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Steal of a Deal =-.

  33. Absolutely spot on stun­ning as usual, Lance, in words and image choices.
    “Remem­ber, those whose lives you have touched
    and who have touched yours
    are always a part of you,
    even if the encoun­ters were less than you would have wished.
    It is the con­tent of the encounter
    that is more impor­tant than its form.”

    I feel so blessed to have been touched by your words and atti­tude toward life. We have never met, we two, but I feel a kin­dred­ness with you.

    Wish­ing you and your lovely fam­ily a few remain­ing Advent days of wait­ing and con­tem­plat­ing and watch­ing for the ever present joy. Wish­ing you peace and light in the com­ing Christ­mas sea­son and beyond into the New Year.

    Enjoy the day!
    Erin
    .-= Erin Prais-Hintz´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..RAW::Use What You Have =-.

  34. Wilma Ham says:

    Hi Lance.
    This is the best wish ever; “May you always feel loved. May a kind word, a reas­sur­ing touch, and a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts as well as receive them.“
    That is what life is all about and oh this is my wish for every­body always.
    It is my focus to get this as then I can pass it on to oth­ers.
    Know­ing love is the only way to give it.
    You can­not give what you do not have AND that is becom­ing clearer and clearer.
    May we all feel love this Christ­mas and the com­ing year. That is my wish for every­body, thus lots of love to you, your fam­ily and every­body else, Wilma xox
    .-= Wilma Ham´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..To cre­ate, we have to think more. =-.

  35. Lance. This is truly beau­ti­ful. It kind of leaves me speechless(hard to do) :)
    and full of grat­i­tude and bless­ing for my life and all of our lives inter­twined.
    Thank you Lance for this quote, the inspi­ra­tion, and you.
    Peace and snow­men cook­ies
    Katie
    .-= Katie West/The Lev­ity Coach´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..The Lev­ity Project: Laugh­ter Flash Chicago! =-.

  36. beau­ti­ful pic­ture and poem…may these bless­ings radi­ate out to all beings this sea­son…
    .-= Lisa (mommymystic)´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..The Desert Moth­ers: First Women Chris­t­ian Her­mits =-.

  37. Lance says:

    @Jodi — Hi Jodi. This is so uplift­ing, isn’t it. And it really reminds me, espe­cially this time of year, that what truly mat­ters comes from the heart. Thanks much for being here…always…

    @Evita — Evita, thank you so much. I read this and just knew this was a beau­ti­ful mes­sage to share dur­ing these hec­tic hol­i­day days ahead. And, Evita — know that you being here and all your sup­port and care do not go unno­ticed. My life is bet­ter because of you. And for that, I am deeply grateful.

    @Caroline — Happy Birth­day Car­o­line!!!! And what you have writ­ten reminds me very much of a post I read this week­end by Evita, about the movie “It’s a Won­der­ful Life”. We all make an impact dur­ing our time here on earth. So, I am deeply touched by your sweet words, and know that I feel so much the same about you. You shine in this world, and with­out you here, so many lives would be less ful­filled. Mine most def­i­nitely. And so I thank you for being here today, and really for being in my life…

    @Mimi — Mimi, it’s been so great get­ting to know you, and see you blos­som with cre­ativ­ity! Thank you for being a friend, for car­ing, and for let­ting your true col­ors shine!

    @Nadia — Hi Nadia. I see that as the real beauty of this poem…how it touches so much upon the heart. And really, with it’s core being love. Love is pretty amaz­ing isn’t it. It’s some­thing we all have the capac­ity to give, yet we hold back all too often. I know I have. When I do, though, it is so con­nect­ing, it feels so right, and it comes back ten­fold. Love is our base. Nadia, Merry Christ­mas to you too, won­der­ful friend…

    @Linda Abbit — Linda, thank you! Your words are sweet and kind, and I am hon­ored and hum­bled by them. And I believe that is really a reflec­tion of you, and your beauty shin­ing through always. And may this sea­son of cel­e­bra­tion be filled with much joy for you and your won­der­ful family.

    @Angelia — It’s that peace­ful­ness that I really felt when I read this, that spoke to me. And I really searched for a pic­ture that would share that same mes­sage. Our lives are all filled with so much pos­si­bil­ity, and what­ever direc­tion we go — if we are doing that from the heart — that is the right place for us to be. And when we think of that all enveloped in love, that is beau­ti­ful. Angelia, thank you for all the won­der­ful and heart­felt com­ments you have shared. Your soul is beautiful…

  38. Lance says:

    @Audra — Merry Christ­mas Audra! In our world, it’s can be easy to be swayed by the judg­ments of oth­ers. when we have as our rock, a God that loves and cares for us, though, we have a foun­da­tion on which to lean on in these moments. Audra, you are a shin­ing exam­ple of liv­ing this out. Know that even in those moments when it is dif­fi­cult (as we all have those moments), you have that inner strength and con­nec­tion to your deep and very real spir­i­tu­ala side that I know is there, that I have wit­nessed. And know also that this price­less friend­ship is so much a two-way street. You are a won­der­ful soul…

    @Erin — Erin, I feel that kindered spirit con­nec­tion too. I think back to early on when our paths first crossed, and how your mes­sage just spoke to me — even though I didn’t fully “get” the beads. What I believe today is that what you do, is an expres­sion of who you are. And that you do this through bead­work and through words is all so mov­ing. Hav­ing a piece from your col­lec­tion, the one you cre­ated espe­cially for my wife — is some­thing that is trea­sured here. And that is not only because of it’s beauty (which it is, very much), but also because of the love and care that I know you put into your cre­ations. Any­way, I’m going on here, but just know that I find a strong con­nec­tion to you, at a deeper level. And to you and your family…may this Christ­mas sea­son be filled with much beauty and love.

    @Wilma — Hi Wilma. The essence of life. If we can give love, gen­uinely and with­out expectation…what a beau­ti­ful place to be. I believe that love is deeply within all of us. How we choose to share that love, or really con­nect with it our­selves first I sup­pose — is a choice for each of us to make. As we con­nect more deeply with what love is for us, and we give that love away…the world just grows closer and closer together. Wilma, thank you for the love you always send this way. Love and candy canes back to you!

    @Katie — Katie. I’m smil­ing! Speechless…wow! It is so inter­est­ing how our lives do inter­twine, and by some chance pass­ing in the world — we are con­nected. And the thing is, now that we are — I see how deeply good this is. Katie, you are an amaz­ing per­son. And you are because you care deeply. Know that you have touched my life in won­der­ful ways, and know­ing you is a gift. You shine love in all you do… (and now, for some reason…all I can think about is cookies…)

    @Lisa — Lisa, thank you. These words that are shared here touch upon some of our deep human needs. Love. some­thing deep within us all, and some­thing I really believe we not only have, but also some­thing we crave. It’s so good hav­ing you here, your pres­ence is so filled with peace.…

  39. Both the pic­ture and the thoughts are just won­der­ful. I really looked at the pic­ture and thought about the words. I feel so blessed in all areas of my life.

    Bless­ings to you and yours this Christ­mas sea­son.
    .-= Diane Fit to the Finish´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Gro­cery Shop­ping Annoys Me =-.

  40. diantha says:

    Lots of wis­dom in this one. Thank you for a lovely wise read­ing today!

  41. Evelyn Lim says:

    The essence to life is about love, isn’t it? We go about wish­ing for a ton of mate­r­ial things but yet they are entirely mean­ing­less if we do have some­one to share them with. What a lovely mes­sage to share this Christ­mas and for the hol­i­day sea­son? Thanks, Lance!
    .-= Eve­lyn Lim´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Christ­mas Greet­ings From Sin­ga­pore Botanic Gar­dens =-.

  42. Tim says:

    Hi Lance:

    What an awe­some quote and photo! I’m blown away. Thank you for these wishes and I wish you and your fam­ily a very Merry Christ­mas and thank you for all of the wis­dom you share with us here.
    .-= Tim´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Week­end Musi­cal Diver­sion: Ray Charles =-.

  43. J.D. Meier says:

    Those are pow­er­ful wishes.

    > May the teach­ings of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them.
    Beau­ti­ful in a very Mr. Miyagi sort of way.
    .-= J.D. Meier´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..8 Ways to Be Heroic =-.

  44. Hi Lance,

    As I was read­ing this beau­ti­ful poem it reminded me of how per­fect it is for the hol­i­day sea­son. And like the poem says, I pray every­one is filled with love.

    Happy Hol­i­days to you and your fam­ily Lance. You’ve truly been a bless­ing in my life and in blo­gos­phere. May the new year be filled with dreams that come true.
    .-= Bar­bara Swafford´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Happy Hol­i­days To You & Yours =-.

  45. Lance says:

    @Diane — I find the pic­ture to be very peace­ful. And that’s very much a feel­ing I get from the poem as well. So good to hear you have let this really soak in. Diane, thank you for your sup­port here this year. And may your fam­ily find much joy this Christ­mas season.

    @Diantha — Hi Diantha. These really are wise words to read and really think about — thanks.

    @Evelyn — Yes, the essence of life is very much rooted in love. This reminds me of a pas­sage from the Bible — “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the great­est of these is love.” A won­der­ful Christ­mas mes­sage. Eve­lyn, thank you for your kind and car­ing words always…

    @Tim — Hi Tim. I was look­ing for a mes­sage to share this hol­i­day sea­son, and just wasn’t find­ing what felt right. And then I stum­bled on this…and just knew this was it. It fits so well to the Christ­mas sea­son, and really what it is all about. Merry Christ­mas Tim!!

    @J.D. Meier — This is good! I had not thought about the mes­sage here and the words of the Karate Kid’s Mr. Miyagi. Very fitting!

    @Barbara — Hi Bar­bara. My thoughts exactly, on how this just really fits this hol­i­day sea­son — and the real beauty behind it. Love is such a won­der­ful thing. Bar­bara, thank you for being here, for giv­ing me a start back in the begin­ning, and for shar­ing all that you do. Merry Christmas!

  46. I feel embraced and held by these words…uplifted and awed by the photo. Thanks Lance. May all of these words sup­port you too!
    gen­tle steps,
    Laura
    .-= Laura Hegfield´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Dark­ness Pro­vides =-.

  47. Jenn Z says:

    Lance, I love this blog! It is beau­ti­ful! My favorite por­tions are:
    ” May the teach­ings of those you admire become part of you,
    so that you may call upon them.” & “May you find enough inner
    strength to deter­mine your own worth by your­self,“
    how true this is.. I am learn­ing to ‘ask’ more from an open heart rather than ego,
    and real­ize this is a dou­ble bless­ing for both sides. Also, I am learn­ing to go within
    to real­ize my own worth rather than depend on another to tell me I am enough.
    Thank you for these beau­ti­ful reminders today!
    Wish­ing you all the best this Christmas,..and into 2010!!
    ~Much Light and Immea­sur­able Love! :)
    luv, Jenn
    .-= Jenn Z´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Feel­ing Stuck and Learn­ing to Love Imper­fec­tion: =-.

  48. Whoo-hoo!!!

    Ah, that felt good.

    :)
    .-= Jan­nie Funster´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..With Not A Dry Parental Eye In The House =-.

  49. Ahhh, read­ing that felt good. I like the few lines. When we have the inner strength to be con­fi­dent in our own choices then I know I’ve reached a new level. I’m not there yet, but I’m work­ing on it.
    .-= Karl Staib — Work Happy Now´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Theme of the Week – More Lis­ten­ing Less Talk­ing =-.

  50. Hi Lance! Been think­ing of you as the year is com­ing to a close and last year you were so inspi­ra­tional with your post about pick­ing a WORD for the new year instead of set­ting goals. Any thoughts as to what your word will be for 2010?
    .-= Amy Putko­nen (Jewell)´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Story of Heal­ing: Hillary Rubin =-.

  51. lisaschaos says:

    I am in love with that photo! Beau­ti­ful! And the words, I wish all the same for you! :) Happy Hol­i­days!
    .-= lisaschaos´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Ho Ho Ho Happy Hol­i­days (Macro Mon­day) =-.

  52. Keith says:

    Hi Lance,

    Read­ing this poem brought to my mind so many things. I came to this com­ment box to share some of those thoughts, and after real­iz­ing they were so numer­ous I thought I’d just say this:

    Lance, I appre­ci­ate you and what you do on this blog very much. Com­ing here and read­ing the things you share make me want to be a bet­ter per­son. For that, I thank you.
    .-= Keith´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..It’s Time To Get Real! =-.

  53. Yum Yucky says:

    You did it again.… I must go re-read. Slower this time. And breathe in all of it’s good­ness.
    .-= Yum Yucky´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Sweet Gift Ideas for the Feral Beast =-.

  54. Lance says:

    @Laura — Laura, these words are so uplift­ing for me, and remind me of truly what is impor­tant in my life. Thanks so much for being here…

    @Jenn — When we let our heart really speak to us, the answers we get are steeped in what truly mat­ters. That doesn’t mean that the world around us will always fully sup­port us. The thing is, when we go within, like you have, those out­side “forces” become much less forceful…and we are guided much more by our own inter­nal wis­dom. Jenn, merry Christ­mas to you, and thank you so much for walk­ing on this jour­ney with me.

    @Jannie — That sounds like it felt good! I think I’ll try it too… Woo-hoo!!! Oh yeah!!

    @Karl — Inner strength…that belief that we “can”. Karl, on so many lev­els, I see this in you…it is there. And as we are all evolv­ing, “there” is always a mov­ing tar­get, and that’s okay.

    @Amy — Hi Amy! Well…I have began to think about a WORD for next year, and am plan­ning a post for early in 2010 about that (although a word has not been cho­sen yet). I find it so inter­est­ing how 2009 turned out, and how the word COURAGE really man­i­fested itself in my life. Thanks so much for being here…and CONGRATULATIONS on get­ting mar­ried! Woohoo!!!

    @Lisa — This photo is so beau­ti­ful! I was mes­mer­ized by it! Lisa, thanks so much for all your sup­port this year, and may your Christ­mas and the new year ahead be filled with much love.

    @Keith — Hi Keith. Your words are very kind and mean­ing­ful to me. Thank you so much for that, and really for being here and sup­port­ing me on this jour­ney. Your friend­ship means the world to me. May the hol­i­day sea­son be filled with much joy in your life…

    @Yum Yucky — Hey Josie. It is really nice to see you here. Always is. This good­ness IS you. You have touched my life this year — and I am so grate­ful for that. Merry christ­mas, awe­some friend…

  55. Peggy says:

    A stun­ning pho­to­graph with a beau­ti­ful poem. The two go hand in hand. Absolutely awe­some this week!

    xo
    .-= Peggy´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..Your Moment of Bliss =-.

  56. Lance says:

    Peggy,
    Thanks so much for being here, and for all your sup­port this year.

  57. Lance,

    I just found your blog and it is so uplift­ing. This post is sim­ply beau­ti­ful. Thank you.

    CC
    .-= ClinicallyClueless´s Last Fab­u­lous Post ..“Happy New Year” ~ ABBA =-.

  58. Lance says:

    Clin­i­cally Clue­less,
    Thank you so much for your kind words, and for being here today.

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