Something to think about today

[DLL]

Re: A thought about love

Originally posted by dcraz
The only love worthy of a name is unconditional.

How many of us have this deep a love? So often we use the word love as a cliche. As an easy summary of our feelings of the moment.

But do we really love? Do we offer of ourselves the kind of unconditional love worthy of such a powerful word? So our SO feel this powerful love. Do they recognize it as complete. As unquestioned? As unconditional?

Love is not something you do,
Love is a way of being.
And more than that.
It is simply being,
Being with another person, however they may be.
Holding no judgments, having no agendas,
No desire to control,
No need to prove your love,
No intrusion upon their soul.
Nothing but a total acceptance of their being,
Born of your acceptance of yours.


Unconditional love is not unconditional approval of another’ s actions, irrespective of their effects upon others. It is unconditional love of the being behind the action. It does not depend upon how a person thinks, feels, or behaves. It does not pause to assess whether or not another is worthy of affection. It recognizes that beneath all our various appearances and activities we all want to feel loved. In this we are all united.

Unconditional love recognizes that we are all to some extent, caught in the belief that our inner satisfaction is determined by what goes on around us. We all feel the need for security, control, recognition, approval, and stimulus to varying degrees, we all feel threatened from time to time by things that seem to stand in the way of our fulfillment; and we can all make mistakes

 

[dcraz]

Thought for the day...

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.

So much has been offerred here regarding the courage it takes to make changes in our life. Changes that will lead to a greater sense of worth or hapiness or feelings of love.

Yet how many of us dwell on the past? On what we might end up without instead of what we might end up with. On what we might lose instead of what we might gain by showing such courage.

 

[charmed1]

Re: Re: A thought about love

Unconditional love is not unconditional approval of another’ s actions, irrespective of their effects upon others. It is unconditional love of the being behind the action. It does not depend upon how a person thinks, feels, or behaves. It does not pause to assess whether or not another is worthy of affection. It recognizes that beneath all our various appearances and activities we all want to feel loved. In this we are all united.

I wanted to thank you for posting this. It really hit home for me. Took the mud right out of the water, so to speak.

Thank you

 

[Quoll]

Re: Re: A thought about love

Love is not something you do,
Love is a way of being.
And more than that.
It is simply being,
Being with another person, however they may be.
Holding no judgments, having no agendas,
No desire to control,
No need to prove your love,
No intrusion upon their soul.
Nothing but a total acceptance of their being,
Born of your acceptance of yours.


Unconditional love is not unconditional approval of another’ s actions, irrespective of their effects upon others. It is unconditional love of the being behind the action. It does not depend upon how a person thinks, feels, or behaves. It does not pause to assess whether or not another is worthy of affection. It recognizes that beneath all our various appearances and activities we all want to feel loved. In this we are all united.

Unconditional love recognizes that we are all to some extent, caught in the belief that our inner satisfaction is determined by what goes on around us. We all feel the need for security, control, recognition, approval, and stimulus to varying degrees, we all feel threatened from time to time by things that seem to stand in the way of our fulfillment; and we can all make mistakes

yep.

 

[dcraz]

Thank you to all who have contributed

My therapy thoughts for the day today have to do with friends.....

"A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses."

What kind of friends do we have? Do they reflect who we really are? Are they people we are proud to call friends? Or do they embarrass us? Are they there when we need them the most? Do we support them? Or do we hurt them? What kind of friends are we? Are our friends proud to call us friends?

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves."

How much sunshine did you spread today? I for one will vow to make tomorrow a sunny day for all my friends!

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new."

I realize how important true friends are to me. I appreciate them more than ever before and I will work to do a better job of taking care of those friendships.

 

[MysteriousRomantic]

Re: Re: A thought about love

Love is not something you do,
Love is a way of being.
And more than that.
It is simply being,
Being with another person, however they may be.
Holding no judgments, having no agendas,
No desire to control,
No need to prove your love,
No intrusion upon their soul.
Nothing but a total acceptance of their being,
Born of your acceptance of yours.


Unconditional love is not unconditional approval of another’ s actions, irrespective of their effects upon others. It is unconditional love of the being behind the action. It does not depend upon how a person thinks, feels, or behaves. It does not pause to assess whether or not another is worthy of affection. It recognizes that beneath all our various appearances and activities we all want to feel loved. In this we are all united.

Unconditional love recognizes that we are all to some extent, caught in the belief that our inner satisfaction is determined by what goes on around us. We all feel the need for security, control, recognition, approval, and stimulus to varying degrees, we all feel threatened from time to time by things that seem to stand in the way of our fulfillment; and we can all make mistakes

DLL sweetie that is so true. I So profess to have unconditional love yet when things got rough I got nasty. I hjope she sees this and understands the the old Jim is back

 

[MysteriousRomantic]

Re: Thank you to all who have contributed

My therapy thoughts for the day today have to do with friends.....

"A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses."

What kind of friends do we have? Do they reflect who we really are? Are they people we are proud to call friends? Or do they embarrass us? Are they there when we need them the most? Do we support them? Or do we hurt them? What kind of friends are we? Are our friends proud to call us friends?

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves."

How much sunshine did you spread today? I for one will vow to make tomorrow a sunny day for all my friends!

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new."

I realize how important true friends are to me. I appreciate them more than ever before and I will work to do a better job of taking care of those friendships.

I have this hanging by my desk at work. As my last post I know why I cannot sleep. because I cannot look at that man and be happy with what I have done.


THE MAN IN THE GLASS
When you get what you want
In your struggle for self,
And the world makes you King for a day.
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn't your Father or Mother or Wife
Whose judgement upon you must pass,
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
Some people might think
You're a straight-shootin' chum
And call you a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.
He's the fellow to please,
Never mind all the rest
For he's with you clear to The End .
And you've passed your most dangerous test,
If the guy in the glass is you Friend,
You may fool the whole World
Down the pathway of years,
And get 'pats on the back' as you pass...
But, your Final Reward will be Heartaches and Tears
If you've cheated the man in the glass.

 

[jacuzzigal]

I like this thread! Here's my contribution:


"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation."
Herman Melville


"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

 

[babydoll2u]

Re: Thank you to all who have contributed

My therapy thoughts for the day today have to do with friends.....

"A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses."

What kind of friends do we have? Do they reflect who we really are? Are they people we are proud to call friends? Or do they embarrass us? Are they there when we need them the most? Do we support them? Or do we hurt them? What kind of friends are we? Are our friends proud to call us friends?

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves."

How much sunshine did you spread today? I for one will vow to make tomorrow a sunny day for all my friends!

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and new."

I realize how important true friends are to me. I appreciate them more than ever before and I will work to do a better job of taking care of those friendships.

very deep... opened my eyes to some things...
thanks sweet man

 

[dcraz]

Re: Re: Thank you to all who have contributed

I have this hanging by my desk at work. As my last post I know why I cannot sleep. because I cannot look at that man and be happy with what I have done.


THE MAN IN THE GLASS
When you get what you want
In your struggle for self,
And the world makes you King for a day.
Just go to a mirror and look at yourself,
And see what that man has to say.
For it isn't your Father or Mother or Wife
Whose judgement upon you must pass,
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
Some people might think
You're a straight-shootin' chum
And call you a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you're only a bum
If you can't look him straight in the eye.
He's the fellow to please,
Never mind all the rest
For he's with you clear to The End .
And you've passed your most dangerous test,
If the guy in the glass is you Friend,
You may fool the whole World
Down the pathway of years,
And get 'pats on the back' as you pass...
But, your Final Reward will be Heartaches and Tears
If you've cheated the man in the glass.

MR,

Thanks for stopping by and offerring your own words of wisdom.

How often we measure others, but so rarely do we take measure of ourselves.

I suspect, your friends would say you measure up just fine.

 

[dcraz]

I like this thread! Here's my contribution:


"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation."
Herman Melville


"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

JG,

Always nice to see you back.

Let us all go forth and succeed today!

 

[dcraz]

Re: Re: Thank you to all who have contributed

very deep... opened my eyes to some things...
thanks sweet man

BD,

Good to see you again.

I am rarely deep, but trying to get a handle on many things. And open my own eyes in the process.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

[Denae]

TL,

Thanks for stopping by. It sounds like you have been fortunate to find two wonderful friends. Firends, true friends are so hard to come by these days. The fact that you have two such friends that you can always count on to be there for you speaks volumes about you.

My guess is they would both call you a true friend in return.

How many of us are blessed to have such friends?

How many of us have thought we had such friends only to discover they were not the friends we thought. Or needed?

Congratulations to you and your two friends for not only finding something special in each other, but for keeping it alive and thriving.

DC

Im am blessed with three dear, dear friends. I call them the sisters of my soul. I have been close to each of them for over 22 years. We are spread out over the U.S. and I miss them terribly.

I made a bold choice to move to Arizona in '98 and I have yet to find a soul sister here. The one person who I thought was a good friend, is really only a friend to me when things are good. When I have received bad news and needed an ear or shoulder her exact words to me, before even knowing my trouble, were "I'm sorry that you're down, why don't I call you back tomorrow?"

So to my soul sisters: "I am blessed to have had you in my life. I am blessed that you love me unconditionally. I've told you I love each and every one of you many, many times, but I don't think you know how lost I would be if any of you were not in my life."

I may isolate myself from time to time, but you three are in my thoughts daily.

 

[dcraz]

Im am blessed with three dear, dear friends. I call them the sisters of my soul. I have been close to each of them for over 22 years. We are spread out over the U.S. and I miss them terribly.

I made a bold choice to move to Arizona in '98 and I have yet to find a soul sister here. The one person who I thought was a good friend, is really only a friend to me when things are good. When I have received bad news and needed an ear or shoulder her exact words to me, before even knowing my trouble, were "I'm sorry that you're down, why don't I call you back tomorrow?"

So to my soul sisters: "I am blessed to have had you in my life. I am blessed that you love me unconditionally. I've told you I love each and every one of you many, many times, but I don't think you know how lost I would be if any of you were not in my life."

I may isolate myself from time to time, but you three are in my thoughts daily.

Denae,

Congrtulations to you too for finding and KEEPING such wonderful friends.

That they are there for you unconditionally is a blessing indeed. No doubt they would say the same about you.

 

[Denae]

Denae,

Congrtulations to you too for finding and KEEPING such wonderful friends.

That they are there for you unconditionally is a blessing indeed. No doubt they would say the same about you.

They would.

There was a time last year when I wrote "goodbye" letters to them. Not suicide notes. I just felt like I had really put them through the ringer with me and I didn't want to cause them any more worries. Like I said, I'm blessed to have them and they fought to not let me let go. I would give eveything I have now and in the future for each of them to be happy and well.

 

[tall_n_tight]

What a cool thread! Thanks to Denae for pointing me here.

There are some great thoughts to ponder here. Some things I will take with me next time I am out running.

But I think for now, I will call a couple of dear friends. And let them know how important they are to me.

One is a dear girl friend I have known since first grade. We have drifted apart somewhat and moved away, but we still keep in touch. I think I owe here a call today.

The second is a wonderful man (not my bf) I grew to know and love several years ago. We have become best friends and I cannot imagine him not being there for me. Even my bf thinks he is great!

 

[jacuzzigal]

Denae,

Congrtulations to you too for finding and KEEPING such wonderful friends.

That they are there for you unconditionally is a blessing indeed. No doubt they would say the same about you.

I want to offer my congrats to u as well, Den.

I also have three friends who are more than friends - spirit sisters, we call one another. The kind of friends you've been through so much with and you feel so attached to they may as well be related to you. The kind of friends that, now matter how long it's been since you've spoken, there's still an instant comfort there. It's an amazing feeling to have people in my life like that. It reminds me of a very special quote to me:

"Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with aperson, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand willtake and sift them, kepp what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away." -- Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

 

[romanticdrifter]

How wonderful to see so many speak of such close friends.

Denae, TNT, JG, BD, You are all so fortuante to have such friends to call on.

I too have met some wonderful people along the way. And few, a precious few have stayed close to me through it all.

Like TNT said, I think I need to take some time to call or write a few close friends tonight and tell them how much they mean to me.

Great thread dcraz and some great responses too!

 

[tall_n_tight]

Thank you to all

Everyone here inspred me today.

I spent the better part of the afternoon catching up with a great friend of mine. How wonderful I feel to have someone so close. That loves me and supports me completely.

I see the word unconditional used a lot here. I know I will make sure my friendship is unconditional in every way. I know I can give that and my friends deserve it.

 

[Nightbird]

We do not inherit the land from our parents, we borrow it from our children.

 

[babydoll2u]

How wonderful to see so many speak of such close friends.

Denae, TNT, JG, BD, You are all so fortuante to have such friends to call on.

I too have met some wonderful people along the way. And few, a precious few have stayed close to me through it all.

Like TNT said, I think I need to take some time to call or write a few close friends tonight and tell them how much they mean to me.

Great thread dcraz and some great responses too!

yes rd.... I'm extremely fortunate

 

[dcraz]

Great to see everyone this weekend!

Wow! So many visitors over the weekend. Interesting how much interest you can generate with the subject of friends. It’s obvious how important they are to all of us.

Thanks to all that stopped by and offered their own thoughts on the subject.

Denae - Nice to see you as always
TNT - Welcome to the thread
JG - Thanks for sharing
RD - Another newcomer, welcome
BD – Friends are special indeed

May we all notice and appreciate them before they are lost…

 

[dcraz]

Great thought for the day!

We do not inherit the land from our parents, we borrow it from our children.

NB – Thanks for offering a new thought for the day.

What a great way to look at things. Imagine what a difference we would see if everyone treated the world as if it were someone elses and not our own to do with what we will.

On a related note, I am involved somewhat in the water industry. Have you ever noticed that cities take their drinking water upstream and discharge their 'treated' waste water down stream? I often wondered if cities would do a better job of treating and monitoring the quality of their drinking water if they were required to discharge upstream of where they take in their water supply!

 

[Cathleen]

Don't know how this thread slipped by me..... seems like a place to call home since I think about everything - too much probably but....

One of my very favorite quotes is by Emerson, I like his work but it is his student, Thoreau, I favor more. However Emerson seems to sum up friendship to me just perfectly, he says.......

A friend might well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.




Nice thread DC, thanks.

 

[babydoll2u]

Re: Great thought for the day!

NB – Thanks for offering a new thought for the day.

What a great way to look at things. Imagine what a difference we would see if everyone treated the world as if it were someone elses and not our own to do with what we will.

On a related note, I am involved somewhat in the water industry. Have you ever noticed that cities take their drinking water upstream and discharge their 'treated' waste water down stream? I often wondered if cities would do a better job of treating and monitoring the quality of their drinking water if they were required to discharge upstream of where they take in their water supply!

lol.. I would think that doing so would certainly turn things around...

well, one can always hope