Lynne

“I counted my years and found that I have less time to live from here on than I have lived up to now.
I feel like that child who won a packet of sweets: he ate the first with pleasure, but when he realized that there were few left, he began to enjoy them intensely.
I no longer have time for endless meetings where statutes, rules, procedures and internal regulations are discussed, knowing that nothing will be achieved.
I no longer have time to support the absurd people who, despite their chronological age, haven't grown up.
My time is too short:
I want the essence,
my soul is in a hurry.
I don't have many sweets
in the package anymore.
I want to live next to human people,
very human,
who know how to laugh at their mistakes,
and who are not inflated by their triumphs,
and who take on their responsibilities.
Thus, human dignity is defended, and we move towards truth and honesty.
It is the essential that makes life worth living.
I want to surround myself with people who know how to touch hearts, people who have been taught by the hard blows of life to grow with gentle touches of the soul.
Yes, I'm in a hurry, I'm in a hurry to live with the intensity that only maturity can give.
I don't intend to waste any of the leftover sweets.
I am sure they will be delicious, much more than what I have eaten so far.
My goal is to reach the end satisfied
and at peace with my loved ones
and my conscience.
We have two lives.
And the second begins when you realize you only have one.
Credits: Mário Raul de Morais Andrade
(Oct 9, 1893 – Feb 25, 1945)
Brazilian poet, novelist, musicologist, art historian and critic, photographer”
― Mario Raul de Morais Andrade

“Call me old fashioned, but I always think it's important to read scripture from the Bible. Actually, holding the Bible. I think something is lost when the reader holds a piece of paper, or an iPad. It may be more convenient, but it’s important for people to see a real Bible. Even better, the scripture reader should ask everyone to open their pew Bibles and read along. It helps instill a familiarity with the scriptures, and it's just a good practice to do week after week, year after year.”
― Susan I. Spieth, I Was a Stranger: Reflections From First-Time Visits to 50 Churches

“Worship is a verb. It should be active, engaging and it should ask me for something—an offering, an affirmation of faith, a response, my singing, my heart, my mind—anything that challenges me toward more faith, more love, more grace.”
― Susan I. Spieth, I Was a Stranger: Reflections From First-Time Visits to 50 Churches

“There’s a section in the Bible when Jesus returned to his hometown. He had become quite a sensation by then, and the whole world wanted to see, hear, and touch him. But his townies weren’t so impressed. They were like, “Hey, isn’t this the carpenter? Mary’s son? His whole family lives right down the street, right?” Jesus replied with something like, “You can never be a hero to the folks you grew up with.” He actually said it a little more formally: “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” It’s hard to see those closest to us as anything special. They’re just regular folks like us, right? The older I get, however, the more I realize that my friends were prophets in their own hometown. They were brilliant, amazing, and altogether remarkable. I just didn’t realize it then. In fact, I took them for granted back then, never realizing how awesome they were. As the years have passed and I’ve grown in my understanding of just about everything, I’ve come to see that in many ways, God walked with me through my friends.”
― Susan I. Spieth, Fall Out: Courage Always Stands its Ground