ADVICE FROM AN OLD
TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN MAN

Your fences need to be
horse-high, pig-tight
and bull-strong.

Keep skunks
and bankers
and lawyers
at a distance.

Life is simpler
when you plow
around the stump.

A bumble bee
is considerably
faster than
a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak
into your ears
are whispered...
not yelled.

Meanness
don't jes'
happen
overnight.

Forgive your enemies.
It messes up
their heads.

Do not corner something
that you know is
meaner than you.

It don't take
a very big person
to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay
a cruel,
or unkind word.

Every path has
a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs,
expect to get dirty.

The best sermons
are lived,
not preached.

Most of the stuff
people worry about
ain't never gonna
happen anyway.

Don't judge folks
by their relatives.

Remember that silence
is sometimes
the best answer.

Live a good,
honorable life.
Then when you get older
and think back,
you'll enjoy it
a second time.

Don't interfere
with somethin'
that ain't botherin'
you none.

Timing has
a lot to do with
the outcome
of a rain dance.

If you find yourself
in a hole,
the first thing to do
is stop diggin'.

Sometimes you get,
and sometimes
you get got.

The biggest troublemaker
you'll probably ever
have to deal with,
watches you from
the mirror
every mornin'.

Always drink
upstream
from the herd.

Good judgment
comes from
experience,
and a lotta that
comes from
bad judgment.

Lettin' the cat
outta the bag
is a whole lot easier
than puttin' it back in.

If you get to thinkin'
you're a person
of some influence,
try orderin'
somebody else's
dog around.

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest
up to God.

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.


What food might this contain? The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.


Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning:
There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!


The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me."" I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"


The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray.


"Be assured you are in my prayers."
The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"


The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."


So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.


The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital , and she returned home with a fever.


Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main Ingredient.


But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.


To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died.


So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.
The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.


So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.


We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.


SEND THIS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER HELPED YOU OUT AND LET THEM KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE.


REMEMBER,,,,


EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY;


OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.


One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a friend

On the top of my website I have a javascript that runs a random number and picks a quote from the list. A lot of them were given my friends from my live journal. I thought I'd share these with you. They're inspirational.. but I do like Amy Ross's quote :)

if (number < 0) {quote="No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."; author="Aesop";};

if (number == 0) {quote="No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."; author="Aesop";};

if (number == 1) {quote="A closed mind is like a closed book, just a block of wood."; author="Chinese Proverb";};

if (number == 3) {quote="He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. "; author="Chinese Proverb";};

if (number == 2) {quote="It's not how good you are now but how good you're going to get"; author="Katie Williams";};

if (number == 4) {quote="Just Do It"; author="Nike";};

if (number == 5) {quote="All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."; author="Walt Disney";};

if (number == 6) {quote="Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul the blueprints of your ultimate achievements."; author="Napolean Hill";};

if (number == 7) {quote="The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams"; author="Eleanor Roosevelt";};

if (number == 8) {quote="God has not called us to be successful, he has called us to be faithful"; author="Mother Teresa";};

if (number == 9) {quote="Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. "; author="Albert Einstein";};

if (number == 10) {quote="A hangover is the wrath of grapes "; author="T-Shirt Slogan";};

if (number == 11) {quote="Time's fun when you're having flies. "; author="Kermit the Frog";};

if (number == 12) {quote="I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said that I didn't know."; author="Mark Twain";};

if (number == 13) {quote="I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation."; author="George Bernard Shaw";};

if (number == 14) {quote="We're always frightened when we don't know what we're doing."; author="Irene Goldman";};

if (number == 15) {quote="Two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left."; author="Unknown";};

if (number == 16) {quote="The future's uncertain and the end is always near."; author="Jim Morrison";};

if (number == 17) {quote="Start slow. Then taper off."; author="Unknown";};

if (number == 18) {quote="You are you, that's perfect"; author="BigBrain61";};

if (number == 19) {quote="Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I'll remember. Involve me and I'll understand."; author="Native American saying";};

if (number == 20) {quote="Love what you do and you will never work another day of your life."; author="Anonymous";};

if (number == 21) {quote="Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy."; author="Thich Nhat Hanh";};

if (number == 22) {quote="The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."; author="Martin Luther King, Jr.";};

if (number == 23) {quote="I have not from your eyes the show of gentleness and love as I was wont to have."; author="Shakespeare";};

if (number == 24) {quote="Don't get your knickers in a knot. Nothing is solved and it just makes you walk funny."; author="Kathryn Carpenter";};

if (number == 25) {quote="The greatest weakness of most humans is their hesitancy to tell others how much they love them while they're still alive."; author="O. A. Battista";};

if (number == 26) {quote="He who angers you conquers you."; author="Elizabeth Kenny";};

if (number == 27) {quote="Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it."; author="Sai Baba";};

if (number == 28) {quote="Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."; author="George Bernard Shaw";};

if (number == 29) {quote="Too many people overvalue what they are not & undervalue what they are."; author="Malcom Forbes ";};

if (number == 30) {quote="Be who you are & say what you feel because those who mind don't matter & those who matter don't mind."; author="Dr. Seuss";};

if (number == 31) {quote="Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence."; author="Anonymous";};


if (number == 32) {quote="Well, now that we've seen each other, said the Unicorn, If you believe in me, I'll believe in you. Is that a bargain?"; author="from Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll";};

if (number == 33) {quote="The price of leadership is suicide. If you are a good leader you should be willing-when I say suicide, I don't always mean death-but you should be willing to sacrifice yourself for what you believe in."; author="Dr. Ray Pollak";};

if (number == 34) {quote="Models have to wear clothes and not eat. I'd rather eat and take off my clothes."; author="Amy Ross";};

if (number == 35) {quote="You have to kiss an awful lot of frogs before you find a prince."; author="London Klotter";};

if (number == 36) {quote="A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous."; author="Ingrid Bergman";};

if (number == 37) {quote="Independence is for the very few; it is a privelege of the strong."; author="Nietzsche";};

if (number == 38) {quote="Confidence thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live."; author="Franklin Delano Roosevelt";};

if (number == 39) {quote="An economist is a man that can tell you...what can happen under any given condition, and his guess is liable to be as good as anybody else's too."; author="Will Rogers";};

if (number == 40) {quote="If women ran the world, there would be no wars. We would just tease each other into eating disorders."; author="Unknown";};

if (number == 41) {quote="I'm old! Gimme gimme gimme!"; author="Grampa Simpson";};

if (number == 42) {quote="Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."; author="P.J. O'Rourke";};

if (number == 43) {quote="Beauty is truth, truth beauty; That is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know."; author="John Keats";};

if (number == 44) {quote="Technicalities don't require motivation."; author="Scott McCoy";};

if (number == 45) {quote="Hey You guys, I got a great idea! Slick shoes!"; author="Data from the Goonies";};

if (number == 46) {quote="Chi!"; author="Chi, from Chobits";};

if (number == 47) {quote="A fine quotation is a diamond on the finger of a witty person, but a pebble in the hands of a fool."; author="Joseph Roux, Meditations of a Parish Priest";};

This was written by Regina Brett of 'The Plain Dealer', Cleveland, Ohio . She says: 'To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 Lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 70 in March so here goes.'


1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God . He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their Journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

From the theme song to Star Trek Enterprise

It’s been a long road - getting from there to here.
It’s been a long time, but my time is finally near

And I will see my dream come alive at last. I will touch the sky.
And they’re not gonna hold me down no more
No, they’re not gonna change my mind
Cause I got faith of the heart
I’m going where my heart will take me
I got faith to believe I can do anything.
I got strength of the soul and no one’s gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star. I got faith. Faith of the heart.


COMPLETE LYRICS

"The magic of believing is this: if we really believe in ourselves, our heart will take us to the highest plateau of personal success. Nothing will stop us as long as we have faith in our hearts."

It’s been a long road - Getting from there to here.
It’s been a long time, but my time is finally near.

And I can feel the change in the wind right now
Nothing’s in my way
And they’re not gonna hold me down no more
No, they’re not gonna hold me now

Chorus:
Cause I got faith of the heart
I’m going where my heart will take me
I got faith to believe. I can do anything.
I got strength of the soul
And no one’s gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star. I got faith. Faith of the heart.

It’s been a long night, trying to find my way.
Been through the darkness now I finally have my day.

And I will see my dream come alive at last
I will touch the sky
And they’re not gonna hold me down no more
No, they’re not gonna change my mind
Chorus

I’ve known a wind so cold. I’ve seen the darkest days.
But now the winds I feel are only winds of change.
I’ve been through the fire and I’ve been through the rain.
But I’ll be fine
Chorus

‘Cause I got faith of the heart
I’m going’ where my heart will take me
I got faith to believe
And no one’s gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star. I got faith - faith of the heart.
It’s been a long road