Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
– Mary Elizabeth Frye
Source: Be Happy Zone
Cute video with a powerful message. Just like this pack, people have friends and family that are a part of our packs. It is important to look out for each other, and to reach out when you or a member of your pack is suffering with a mental health problem. As this video points out, 1 in 4 people suffer with a mental health problem each year. It is more common than you think and, more than likely, you know someone who is suffering right now. Talk to them before it is too late. Everyone needs a little extra love sometimes.
Amazing video displaying the use of technology to help those in need accomplish simple, yet life-changing, daily tasks, such as talking. This story not only emphasizes how technology can change one man’s life for the better, but also the commitment family members dedicate to be there for someone suffering with challenging medical conditions. It is a story of love.
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
A garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Source: Beyondthequote.com
these hips are big hips
they need space to
move around in.
they don’t fit into little
petty places. these hips
are free hips.
they don’t like to be held back.
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips.
i have known them
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top!
-Lucille Clifton
Source: Family Friend Poems
In honor of International Women’s day, I have selected the powerful poetry of slam poet Katie Makkai. This was one of the first slam poems I found on YouTube after first discovering the art of slam poetry. This poem makes me redefine the word pretty, and recognize that there is so much more I will be.
Shawn Achor gives a powerful and amusing TED Talks on positive psychology and the way we view happiness and success as a society. His message: Reverse our current formula for happiness and success from “If I am successful, I will be happy” to “When I am happy, I will be more successful”.
I have to live with myself and so
I want to be fit for myself to know.
I want to be able as days go by,
always to look myself straight in the eye; I don’t want to stand with the setting sun
and hate myself for the things I have done.
I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf
a lot of secrets about myself
and fool myself as I come and go
into thinking no one else will ever know
the kind of person I really am,
I don’t want to dress up myself in sham.
I want to go out with my head erect
I want to deserve all men’s respect;
but here in the struggle for fame and wealth
I want to be able to like myself.
I don’t want to look at myself and know that
I am bluster and bluff and empty show.
I never can hide myself from me;
I see what others may never see;
I know what others may never know,
I never can fool myself and so,
whatever happens I want to be
self respecting and conscience free.
-Edgar A. Guest
Source: Inspirational Words of Wisdom
Before you speak, listen.
Before you write, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you invest, investigate.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.
Before you retire, save.
Before you die, give.
-William Arthur Ward
Source: Inspirational Words of Wisdom
Send a drop of kindness,
And see a happy face.
A drop of kindness goes real far,
It may even reach outer space.
Send a drop of love,
And feel a loving embrace.
It feels so good to feel like,
You are in the right place.
Send a drop of hope,
But be that shinning star.
Hope is wonderful to have,
But sometimes you can’t sit away so far.
Send a drop of faith,
With a single prayer.
And God will show the way,
As faith is always there.
– Julie Herbert
Source: Inspirational Words of Wisdom
