Quote - 'positiveness'

"Every time you put something positive into the universe, the world changes.
Your kindness invites miracles to show up, not just in your world,
but in the whole world"

unknown author

All is One by Michael Schafer

All is one,
We are part of the whole,
We are bound to each other
We are bound hand in hand
From the air to the ocean
To the rocks, the trees, the sand
We are all God’s children
So together we must strive
To seek to find the balance
That will keep us all alive
For every act there is a reaction
And every choice affects all the rest
There is nothing unimportant
Because the chain of life connects
We are all Nature’s stewards
So together we must strive
To seek to find the balance
That will allow Mother Nature to thrive
Every life touches another
Whether near or far away
So all pain and injustice
Are also ours today
We are bound heart to heart
So it’s time to be thoughtful
On how we will play our part

Vision - Wendell Berry poem

Vision

If we will have the wisdom to survive,
to stand like slow growing trees
on a ruined place, renewing, enriching it...
then a long time after we are dead
the lives our lives prepare will live
here, their houses strongly placed
upon the valley sides...
The river will run
clear, as we will never know it...
On the steeps where greed and ignorance cut down
the old forest, an old forest will stand,
its rich leaf-fall drifting on its roots.
The veins of forgotten springs will have opened.
Families will be singing in the fields...
Memory,
native to this valley, will spread over it
like a grove, and memory will grow
into legend, legend into song, song
into sacrament. The abundance of this place,
the songs of its people and its birds,
will be health and wisdom and indwelling
light. This is no paradisal dream.
Its hardship is its reality.

Wendell Berry

J. Charlyne Doerle @ 80! (8/21/12)

Hard to believe you’ve reached this milestone so quickly,
Why it seems like yesterday we acknowledged your 70th!

Along the way, you’ve remained solid as a rock,
Ever kind, ever diligent, ever giving of your talents and offerings.

I’ve never heard a cross word uttered from your lips,
Rather, heaps of affirming, inspiring words are dominant.

You’re known to have infused me with musical hope,
Via supportive patience and commitment to the learning process.

Your presence and efforts have kept Starting Anew a vital force,
Lending organization and leadership initiatives so constant.

One-of-a-kind you are, worthy of life’s best offerings,
While we celebrate the blessings your humanity has brought.

Happy Birthday Char, with enduring love and appreciation!

Nate