Illinois ladies facing bc

IllinoisLady

All my experience of the world teaches me that in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the safe side and the just side of a question is the generous side and the merciful side. -Anna Brownell Jameson

IllinoisLady

In our rough and rugged individualism, we think of gentleness as weakness, being soft and virtually spineless. Not so! Gentleness includes such enviable qualities as having strength under control, being calm and peaceful when surrounded by a heated atmosphere, emitting a soothing effect on those who may be angry or otherwise beside themselves, and possessing tact and gracious courtesy that causes others to retain their self-esteem and dignity. Instead of losing, the gentle gain.Instead of being ripped off and taken advantage of, they come out ahead! -Charles Swindoll

IllinoisLady

Time is . . . Too slow for those who wait,
Too swift for those who fear,
Too long for those who grieve,
Too short for those who rejoice;
But for those who love. . . Time is Eternity!

Henry van Dyke

IllinoisLady

I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail.

Muriel Strade

IllinoisLady

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury; and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable; and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasion, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden, and unconscious to grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony. -William Henry Channing

IllinoisLady

It is through our extended family that we first learn to compromise and
come to an understanding that even if we don't always agree
about things we can still love and look out for each other.

Sara Sheridan

IllinoisLady

"When you do not question what will be,
you allow yourself to be present with All That Is."

The Voice For Love

IllinoisLady

And when we come to think of it, goodness is uneventful. It does not flash, it glows. It is deep, quiet, and very simple. It passes not with oratory, it is commonly foreign to riches, nor does it often sit in the places of the mighty: but may be felt in the touch of a friendly hand or the look of a kindly eye. -David Grayson

IllinoisLady

Grace is goodness and respect given freely and unconditionally. A sense of divine love and protection bestowed on us when we need strength and renewal. Grace helps us know we are not alone and believe we are cared for and cherished. Grace is a drink of clear, clean water in the desert. -Sue Patton Thoele

IllinoisLady

You will not grow if you sit in a beautiful flower garden, but you will grow if you are sick, if you are in pain, if you experience losses, and if you do not put your head in the sand, but take the pain and learn to accept it, not as a curse or punishment but as a gift to you with a very, very specific purpose. -Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross

IllinoisLady

Perhaps, indeed, there are no truly universal ethics: or to put it more precisely, the ways in which ethical principles are interpreted will inevitably differ across cultures and eras. Yet, these differences arise chiefly at the margins. All known societies embrace the virtues of truthfulness, integrity, loyalty, fairness; none explicitly endorse falsehood, dishonesty, disloyalty, gross inequity.

Howard Gardner

IllinoisLady

I move through my day-to-day life with a sense of appreciation and gratitude that comes from knowing how fortunate I truly am and how unearned all that I am thankful for really is. To have this perspective in my everyday consciousness is in itself a gift, for it leads to feeling "graced," or blessed, each time. . . . Every time I see beauty around me I appreciate what I am seeing, and simultaneously I have this sense of appreciation—for being alive to have this particular moment. -Jean Shinoda Bolen

IllinoisLady

Every great loss demands that we choose life again. We need to grieve in order to do this. The pain we have not grieved over will always stand between us and life. When we don't grieve, a part of us becomes caught in the past like Lot's wife who, because she looked back, was turned into a pillar of salt.
Grieving is not about forgetting. Grieving allows us to heal, to remember with love rather than pain. It is a sorting process. One by one you let go of the things that are gone and you mourn for them. One by one you take hold of the things that have become a part of who you are and build again. -Rachel Naomi Remen

joan888

@IllinoisLady Your post meant so much to me this morning. We lost one of our original members a few days ago. Makmak (Marina) who was diagnosed 11 years ago with Stage IV passed away last Saturday. She was such a warrior and so devoted to her young family. Those of you who were with us in the beginning of this thread will remember how she fought with such courage and calm.

IllinoisLady

I remember Marina well. Such a sunny bright jewel and full of love and care. I always so enjoyed reading her posts and keeping up with her joys in life. She will be so very missed. Thinking of her beautiful family and lending silent strength for the days ahead.

IllinoisLady

It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them,
more strength to relate to people than to dominate them,
more "manhood" to abide by thought-out principles rather
than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit,
not in muscles and an immature mind.

Alex Karras

IllinoisLady

There is no physician like cheerful thought for dissipating the ills of the body; there is no comforter to compare with good will for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow. To live continually in thoughts of ill will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self-made prison hole. But to think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to patiently learn to find the good in all—such unselfish thoughts are the very portals of happiness; and to dwell day by day in thoughts of peace toward every creature will bring abounding peace to their possessor. -James Allen

IllinoisLady

Our relationships are our sacred responsibilities, for they are the framework within which life is lived. They show us where we have more learning and loving to do. Our interactions with others call up the disabling beliefs and negative patterns of behavior we need to release—the cynicism, anger, resentment, and jealousy that block love's flow. Our relationships are our mirrors; they reflect where we are in consciousness. And if we are willing to face the truth about ourselves, our relationships offer the lessons that lead to our greatest transformation. -Susan L. Taylor

IllinoisLady

Most relate to the world by their emotions, which means they know
only the unreality of illusion--this world of emotion is the world of
duality, of love and hate, of joy and sorrow. All emotions are relative
to themselves, and last only as long as the supporting thought is maintained. -A Spiritual Warrior

IllinoisLady

I am still learning--how to take joy in all the people I am, how to use all my selves in the service of what I believe, how to accept when I fail and rejoice when I succeed. Audre Lord

IllinoisLady

This is the true joy in life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no "brief candle" to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. -George Bernard Shaw

IllinoisLady

Life is full of painful events, and people who have lost their way and hurt others. Our pain is not lessened when we respond with hatred. In fact, the opposite occurs: When we hate people who hurt us, we come to resemble what we hate, or worse, and then we suffer all the more. What is evil is our response. We have choices, and love is the most powerful eliminator of all. -Bernie Siegel

IllinoisLady

The greatest force in the human body is the natural drive of the body to heal itself--but that force is not independent of the belief system. Everything begins with belief. What we believe is the most powerful option of all. -Norman Cousins

IllinoisLady

We are all connected to everyone and everything in the universe.
Therefore, everything one does as an individual affects the whole.
All thoughts, words, images, prayers, blessings, and deeds
are listened to by all that is.
- Serge Kahili King

IllinoisLady

Life is simple.
Everything happens for you, not to you.
Everything happens at exactly the right moment, neither too soon nor too late.
You don't have to like it... it's just easier if you do.
- Byron Katie

Be still and know who you are.
- Kirtana

IllinoisLady

It is the highest form of self-respect to admit our errors and mistakes and make amends for them. To make a mistake is only an error in judgment, but to adhere to it when it is discovered shows infirmity of character.

Dale Turner

IllinoisLady

If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up. -Deepak Chopra

IllinoisLady

When one has reverence for life, one will never do anything to harm, hinder, or destroy life. Instead one bends every effort to help life to fulfill its highest destiny. One strives to maintain, enhance, and assist life to make the most of itself. -Wilferd A. Peterson

IllinoisLady

Give the best you have received from the past to the best that you may come to know in the future. Accept life daily not as a cup to be drained but as a chalice to be filled with whatsoever things are honest, pure, lovely, and of good report. Making a living is best undertaken as part of the more important business of making a life. Every now and again take a good look at something not made with hands—a mountain, a star, the turn of a stream. There will come to you wisdom and patience and solace, and above all the assurance that you are not alone in the world. -Sidney Lovett

IllinoisLady

He who experiences the unity of life
sees his own Self in all beings,
and all beings in his own Self.

- The Buddha