"The oldest, the one that everyone counts on and no one has to worry about. It's an honor to play that role."
- Amy Chua
Showing posts with label sisters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sisters. Show all posts
6.21.2014
11.04.2013
1.22.2013
8.27.2012
“I do not mourn the loss of my sister because she will always be with me, in my heart," she says. "I am, however, rather annoyed that my Tara has left me to suffer you lot alone. I do not see as well without her. I do not hear as well without her. I do not feel as well without her. I would be better off without a hand or a leg than without my sister. Then at least she would be here to mock my appearance and claim to be the pretty one for a change. We have all lost our Tara, but I have lost a part of myself as well.”
- Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
- Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus
12.08.2009
11.11.2009
Now Is All We Have
Ecclesiastes 9:7-12
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, [a] where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.
12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so men are trapped by evil times
that fall unexpectedly upon them
All of us have had those days when nothing seems to go right. We all know the ones I’m talking about. We forget our homework, we fail room inspection, or we say something we really shouldn’t. Then we get grumpy and bitter and that makes everything worse. It’s a cycle of the bad day blues that is very hard to escape from. Every small annoyance makes the next step a little bit harder to take. All the unpleasant moments of our day pile up until we find ourselves sitting on our beds after study hall, shoveling Ramen noodles into our mouths, cursing the Heavens and asking God, “Could today POSSIBLY get any worse?”
When was the last time you asked if the day could get better?
Think about it. Sitting on our beds, eating our feelings away and feeling sorry for ourselves is totally pointless. That helps no one, especially not you.
The reading we just heard from Ecclesiastes tells us to do all that we do with our full hearts, because when our lives are over, there is no working, no planning, no knowledge, and no wisdom.
Essentially, the reading reminds us that now is all we have. And that applies to everyone – it doesn’t matter if you’re 17 or if you’re 84, if you’re strong or weak, if you’re rich or poor. Chance and fate happen to everyone: no one is immune to the misfortunes which can befall us at times. What makes a difference is our reaction to these events – the positive thinking and optimism which can carry us through even the roughest of times.
When we have a bad day, we’re immediately on the defensive, sort of a way to cut our losses and minimize the damage. We shuffle from place to place feeling down, and when friends ask us if something’s wrong, we shrug and say, “No, I’m fine.” Why are we perfectly content with labeling 24 hours of our life as bad? We console ourselves by acknowledging that the sun will rise the next day and things will get better. But why do we wait that long? It’s true that there is something powerfully symbolic and motivational about the start of a new day. But if we keep on waiting until tomorrow, that is a lot of wasted time.
Benjamin Franklin once wisely observed that: “God helps those who help themselves.” So while you’re wondering why God picked you of all people to have an awful day, remember that. We need to stop justifying our sadness by saying good things weren’t in the cards today, that God obviously has something against you. God doesn’t have anything against you – saying that, my friends, is the easy way out. The reading says quite clearly that God has blessed the lives we lead under the sun, and he wants us to enjoy them. But enjoying them is up to us. It’s our responsibility to make the changes in our life which will lead to happiness. It is our attitude which makes the day good or bad, not what happens to us. Happiness is a journey, it’s not a destination. Waiting for tomorrow to be happy is trying to get to a destination, and it’s a destination you’ll never get to.
At [St. Margaret's School] , we hear a lot about community. And we should hear a lot about it. We are incredibly blessed to have a network of students, faculty, and staff who are constantly looking out for one another. We are the epitome of a support system. Every person in this room has both contributed to our community and been positively affected by it, whether you are aware of it or not. But community is not all about giving back – sometimes it’s about using your resources. When you are struggling, you can reach out and know there is someone who will do whatever it takes to get you back on your feet.
So the next time you want to put your head in your hands and feel sorry for yourself, remember that it’s easy to be unhappy. Happiness is tougher – and cooler. Get into the habit of shaking off negative events and thoughts and before you know it, having a positive outlook on life will be automatic. We never know when something bad will happen, but know that you have a community which will do anything to help out. God helps those who help themselves, and He gave you the skills and resources to do just that. Make a conscious decision to let nothing affect your inner peace and your happiness, no matter what happens. Try it – you won’t regret it.
- Lucy Eckman, November 2009
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, [a] where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.
12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so men are trapped by evil times
that fall unexpectedly upon them
All of us have had those days when nothing seems to go right. We all know the ones I’m talking about. We forget our homework, we fail room inspection, or we say something we really shouldn’t. Then we get grumpy and bitter and that makes everything worse. It’s a cycle of the bad day blues that is very hard to escape from. Every small annoyance makes the next step a little bit harder to take. All the unpleasant moments of our day pile up until we find ourselves sitting on our beds after study hall, shoveling Ramen noodles into our mouths, cursing the Heavens and asking God, “Could today POSSIBLY get any worse?”
When was the last time you asked if the day could get better?
Think about it. Sitting on our beds, eating our feelings away and feeling sorry for ourselves is totally pointless. That helps no one, especially not you.
The reading we just heard from Ecclesiastes tells us to do all that we do with our full hearts, because when our lives are over, there is no working, no planning, no knowledge, and no wisdom.
Essentially, the reading reminds us that now is all we have. And that applies to everyone – it doesn’t matter if you’re 17 or if you’re 84, if you’re strong or weak, if you’re rich or poor. Chance and fate happen to everyone: no one is immune to the misfortunes which can befall us at times. What makes a difference is our reaction to these events – the positive thinking and optimism which can carry us through even the roughest of times.
When we have a bad day, we’re immediately on the defensive, sort of a way to cut our losses and minimize the damage. We shuffle from place to place feeling down, and when friends ask us if something’s wrong, we shrug and say, “No, I’m fine.” Why are we perfectly content with labeling 24 hours of our life as bad? We console ourselves by acknowledging that the sun will rise the next day and things will get better. But why do we wait that long? It’s true that there is something powerfully symbolic and motivational about the start of a new day. But if we keep on waiting until tomorrow, that is a lot of wasted time.
Benjamin Franklin once wisely observed that: “God helps those who help themselves.” So while you’re wondering why God picked you of all people to have an awful day, remember that. We need to stop justifying our sadness by saying good things weren’t in the cards today, that God obviously has something against you. God doesn’t have anything against you – saying that, my friends, is the easy way out. The reading says quite clearly that God has blessed the lives we lead under the sun, and he wants us to enjoy them. But enjoying them is up to us. It’s our responsibility to make the changes in our life which will lead to happiness. It is our attitude which makes the day good or bad, not what happens to us. Happiness is a journey, it’s not a destination. Waiting for tomorrow to be happy is trying to get to a destination, and it’s a destination you’ll never get to.
At [St. Margaret's School] , we hear a lot about community. And we should hear a lot about it. We are incredibly blessed to have a network of students, faculty, and staff who are constantly looking out for one another. We are the epitome of a support system. Every person in this room has both contributed to our community and been positively affected by it, whether you are aware of it or not. But community is not all about giving back – sometimes it’s about using your resources. When you are struggling, you can reach out and know there is someone who will do whatever it takes to get you back on your feet.
So the next time you want to put your head in your hands and feel sorry for yourself, remember that it’s easy to be unhappy. Happiness is tougher – and cooler. Get into the habit of shaking off negative events and thoughts and before you know it, having a positive outlook on life will be automatic. We never know when something bad will happen, but know that you have a community which will do anything to help out. God helps those who help themselves, and He gave you the skills and resources to do just that. Make a conscious decision to let nothing affect your inner peace and your happiness, no matter what happens. Try it – you won’t regret it.
- Lucy Eckman, November 2009
10.25.2009
Susannah's Motto
If you're in trouble, remember that:
- Be the Beast
- Do the Dew
- Pass with a purpose.
[March 2004]
- Be the Beast
- Do the Dew
- Pass with a purpose.
[March 2004]
10.08.2009
My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart
If you ever need a helping hand
I'll be there on the double
As fast as I can
Don't you know that
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you.
- Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart
If you ever need a helping hand
I'll be there on the double
As fast as I can
Don't you know that
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you.
- Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
8.23.2009
There's no better friend than a sister.
There's no one more loyal and true.
And even when they're different, they're likeness comes shining through.
She's seen you in some situations when silence just wouldn't suffice.
And managed to get you by with those sisterly words of advice.
There's no one more in your corner.
And no one you're more grateful to.
There's no better friend than a sister.
And no better sister than you.
- Mary Engelbreit
8.10.2009
7.27.2009
Sisters
With you as my sister, the icicles tasted colder, the fireflies twinkled brighter, and the stars didn't seem so far away.
- Ludwig
- Ludwig
5.25.2009
3.30.2009
Little Women
We'll all grow up one day, Meg. We might as well know what we want.
- Amy
Jo. Such a little name for... such a person.
-Friedrich
Oh, Jo. Jo, you have so many extraordinary gifts; how can you expect to lead an ordinary life? You're ready to go out and - and find a good use for your talent. Tho' I don't know what I shall do without my Jo. Go, and embrace your liberty. And see what wonderful things come of it.
-Marmee
Butter! Oh isn't butter divinity?
- Amy
I won't have my girls being silly about boys.
- Marmee
- Amy
Jo. Such a little name for... such a person.
-Friedrich
Oh, Jo. Jo, you have so many extraordinary gifts; how can you expect to lead an ordinary life? You're ready to go out and - and find a good use for your talent. Tho' I don't know what I shall do without my Jo. Go, and embrace your liberty. And see what wonderful things come of it.
-Marmee
Butter! Oh isn't butter divinity?
- Amy
I won't have my girls being silly about boys.
- Marmee
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