up and up

It is one of my goals this semester to focus on the positive. That's easy to forget when so many things are going wrong at school and the rest of the world. So here are some of my favorite quotes and books that help me stay positive!!

How do I change?
IF I FEEL DEPRESSED I WILL SING. (i had to put that line it caps for myself)
If I feel sad I will laugh.
If I feel ill I will double my labour.
If I feel fear I will plunge ahead.
If I feel inferior I will wear new garments.
If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice.
If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come.
If I feel incompetent I will think of past success.
If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals.
Today I will be the master of my emotions.
-Og Mandino
that is one of the best quotes of all time! of all the things out there that we cannot control, it is helpful to remember that we can control our attitude and emotions.

"I don't sing because I'm happy; I'm happy because I sing." ~William James
any music major will tell you that we don't do it because it's gonna make us money! you gotta do what you love.

"... without darkness
Nothing comes to birth,
As without light
Nothing flowers."
just a reminder that life's trials make the successes and happiness that much better.

"I believe in the sun even if it isn't shining. I believe in love even when I am alone. I believe in God even when He is silent."
:D

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called."
~A.A. Milne
this just makes me smile! who knew winnie the pooh was so profound?

le mo ghrása mise agus liomsa mo ghrá
it translates to 'i am my beloved and my beloved is mine' from song of solomon in gaelic.

< now i do not typically like poetry, especially modern stuff, but this collection is AWESOME. it has well known poems about love and life and happiness; a few by shel silverstein, "jabberwocky", and other great favorites! this book really does have the power to 'lift your spirits'.




"impossible is nothing"
put so eloquently by my late friend Austin on the Camp Sunshine Outward Bound trip.

i love to read. why is it that when you get older, more books tend to have sad endings? i LOVE this book. i think it's for teens actually. i just know that i have had it forever. and yes it is a fantasy novel, but it's not crazy weird and bizarre. and the story is really great! while harry potter is also AWESOME, 700 page books take a while to read. this book is an easy read, but the best part is that the ending leaves you satisfied and happy.

Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings. ~Victor Hugo

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11
always a nice reminder. God has a plan for us and He loves us!!