With GOD, all things are possible

I've learned - that you cannot make someone love you.  All you can do
is be someone who can be loved.  The rest is up to them.

I've learned - that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.

I've learned - that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I've learned - that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts

I've learned - that you can do something in an instant that will give you  heartache for life.

I've learned - that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I've learned - that I should always leave loved ones
 with loving words.  It may be the last time I see them.

I've learned - that I am responsible for what I do, no matter how I feel.

I've learned - that either I control my attitude or it controls me.

I've learned - that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship
 is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I've learned - that heroes are the people who do what has to be done
 when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I've learned - that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I've learned - that my best friend and I can do anything
 or nothing and have the best time.

I've learned - that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right
to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I've learned - that just because someone doesn't love me the way I want them to
 doesn't mean they don't love me with all they have.



I've learned - that maturity has more to do with what types of  experiences I've had
 and what I've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays I've celebrated.

I've learned - that I should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish.
Few things are more humiliating,  and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.

I've learned - that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt me
 every once in a while and I must forgive them for that.

I've learned - that no matter how bad my heart is broken the world doesn't stop for my grief.

I've learned - that my background and circumstances may have influenced
 who I am, but I am responsible for who I become.

I've learned - that I don't have to change friends, just  understand that friends change.

I've learned - that I shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change my life forever.

I've learned - that no matter how I try to protect my children,
 they will eventually get hurt and I will hurt in the process.

I've learned - that my life can be changed in a matter of seconds/hours by people who don't even know me.

I've learned - that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I've learned - that the people I care most about in life are taken from me too soon.

I've learned - that although the word "love" can have many different meanings, it loses value when overly used.

I've learned - that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings  and standing up for what you believe.

I've learned that there is much more to be learned!!

Author Unknown

The Invitation ~

By Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your sorrow.
If you have been opened by life's betrayals,
or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own,
 without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own.

If you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you
to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic,
or to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself,
if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own self.

I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not pretty everyday,
and if you can source your life from God's presence.

It doesn't interest me who you are, how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself,
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.