MY FAVORITE QUOTES

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand."

- Mother Teresa

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

- Winston Churchill

"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention."

- Oscar Wilde

"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."

- Albert Einstein

"If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive."

- Dale Carnegie

"The art of conversation lies in listening."

- Malcom S. Forbes

"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom."

- Thomas Jefferson

"Where there is love there is life."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"What is death, but one second between life on this earth and a leap into the arms of God."

- Kahlil Gibrand

"The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge."

- Bertrand Russell

"Never wrestle with a pig, because you just get dirty, and the pig likes it."

- Unknown

“Everything that is not forbidden by laws of nature is achievable, given the right knowledge.”

- David Deutsch

"The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done."

- Arnold Palmer

"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new."

- Albert Einstein

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."

- Benjamin Franklin

"The most worth-while thing is to try to put happiness into the lives of others."

-Robert Baden-Powell

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."

- Benjamin Franklin

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter."

- Denis Diderot

"To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge."

- Bertrand Russell

"Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you."

- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

"The greatest enemies of success and happiness are negative emotions of all kinds."

- Brian Tracy

"Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up all the vacancies of the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge.”

- Horace Mann

"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."

- Albert Einstein

"And what is the purpose of existence… but to discover truth and beauty and…share it with others"

- Brenda Ueland

"Four things belong to a judge: to hear courteously, to answer wisely, to consider soberly, and to decide impartially."

- Socrates

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."

- Alan Kay

"I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions."

- Stephen Covey

"Either you run the day, or the day runs you."

- Jim Rohn

"Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right."

- Henry Ford

"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."

- Mark Twain

"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced."

- Vincent Van Gogh

"Since Auschwitz we know what man is capable of. And since Hiroshima we know what is at stake."

- Viktor Frankl

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart."

- Ancient Indian Proverb

"Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear."

- George Addair

"Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart."

- Washington Irving

"You can’t fall if you don’t climb. But there’s no joy in living your whole life on the ground."

- Unknown

My Current WoW

My Granpa’s Dilemma

The night sky over Clell, Virginia, hung low with stars…

More... about My Granpa’s Dilemma

The Silence of Loneliness

Hank sat on the bank’s edge, fishing pole in one hand, a thick cigar in the other…

More... about The Silence of Loneliness

Betty’s Gift of Berries

By the time anyone heard Tom coming, it was already too late…

More... about Betty’s Gift of Berries

Kindness and Determination

As the years accumulate, so do the values that steer a life…

More... about Kindness and Determination

Three Missing Teeth

The old man stared at the tools hanging on the rough-planked wall…

More... about Three Missing Teeth

Popeye Is Dying

All four of my grandparents wrapped me in love as I grew into a young man…

More... about Popeye Is Dying

Last Breath

In 2014, my wife and I boarded a plane and flew to London, England…

More... about Last Breath

My Favorite Word

Did you know the average English-speaking adult wields a vocabulary of…

More... about My Favorite Word

Loss and Consequences

Throughout our lives, each of us encounters loss…

More... about Loss and Consequences

Guest Missives

Murder Wholesale… by Frank Shortt

What next? Who is minding the store? How did the Las Vegas gunman sneak all...
More... about Murder Wholesale… by Frank Shortt

What’s Wrong With This Picture?… by Reese

A front-page story in our local paper quoted a very recent story in the  Washington Post newspaper regarding a just-completed survey pertaining to the Washington D.C. area interstate highway system (includes  surrounding parts of Virginia/Maryland).It indicates Washington D.C presently has the worst traffic-jams of any  major city in this country. That right, D.C. has traffic nightmares that at present exceed the legendary traffic woes of New York City, Atlanta,  Los Angeles, and Denver. While giving due mention to traffic problems on I-495 (the beltway around Washington), and a couple of interstate feeder-highways in Virginia  and Maryland, the article zeroed in on I-95, from its intersection with ...
More... about What’s Wrong With This Picture?… by Reese

Fudge, Fudge, Fudge!… by Cindy

Early in life we prepare; prepare for school, college, jobs, vocations, careers, marriage, children, independent...
More... about Fudge, Fudge, Fudge!… by Cindy
A smiley face wearing a cowboy hat and bandana.

AS MY WORLD TURNS

CATS

Peace

 

I think a kitten’s sleep

is a form of prayer,

the soft pink nose

and pads of her feet,

the chin turned up to

reveal her white throat

the long tail wrapped

around her silver-gray body.

 “Sleeping for storm,”

I’ve heard it called.

 

Outside may be war and famine

and unspeakable cruelties

But here and now

in this little body

is peace.

 

 

  Foof, the Covid Kitten

 

I know he’s just

a fluff of dust in this vast universe,

but to me he’s so much more.

 

He came into my life

on a cold, dark day

when I was hollowed out by sorrow,

weary of the sad little rituals of my days,

sickened by the thought

of the thousands dying

for want of a little care.

 

My life was a dry, brittle shell

until my little cat leapt in

as if into a flowery meadow.

 

I love his velvety ears,

his amber eyes alight

with curiosity and mischief,

his black fur sleek as sealskin,

his prim white paws

that sneaked into my heart

until it was full to overflowing.

 

He can make a game of anything—

a random piece of ribbon,

an elusive dust bunny.

And oh his prodigious leaps

as he turns a half somersault in the air

in pursuit of his favorite toy!

 

And so he makes me laugh

in peals of sunlight.

Thus it is that joy can blossom

in the driest desert,

even the one in my heart.

 

   Notes to Self

 

Please note:

This is your cat.

He’s lying on the white blanket

at the foot of your bed,

the morning sunlight shining

through his translucent ears

and glancing off the silver streak

on his side

in a way it never has before

and never will again.

 

Please note:

This is his pose.

His front paws are crossed,

left on top,

and his long tail curls slightly

around his back legs

in a way it never has before

and never will again.

 

Please note:

This is your life—

not tomorrow afternoon,

not even ten minutes ago:

NOW.

~ Stephanie Sugioka ~

Recent Comments

  • Betty Berry on My Close Call… by Jane Strebel: “What a great story! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Thanks for sharing, Jane!Feb 1, 14:50
  • Susan Chappelle on My Close Call… by Jane Strebel: “I love the perfect illustration you added for Jane’s story, Tommy!Jan 31, 20:25
  • Tommy on Living Time Capsule: “I started my website in February 2017…TommyJan 24, 07:57
  • DichaelCoalm on Living Time Capsule: “Wow, wonderful blog format! How long have you ever been running a blog for? you made blogging look easy. The…Jan 23, 16:19
  • Betty on My Life in Ten Sentences: “You did great. But no I can’t remember mine much less put it into 10 sentences , it all had…Jan 16, 06:07
  • website on Faulty: “I am always browsing online for tips that can benefit me. Thx!Jan 15, 18:05
  • Earth Remedies Spa Treatments on Ten-Year Plan: “Some times its a pain in the ass to read what website owners wrote but this internet site is rattling…Jan 15, 15:54