From two friends...

... came two quotes that really spoke to me.

From Dwayne Condon (courtesy of a nun at St. Francis de Sales):

"Accumulate a stock of gentleness. Speak and act in the mildest way you can. Sweet words are not enough. They must come from a sweet soul."

And from Jenifer Condon (courtesy of Ann Landers):

"Keep in mind, that the true measure of an individual is how he treats a person who can do him absolutely no good."

I'm gonna ruminate in both of these today. Because I need to.

But even sweeter are some words from my friend Juanita...

"the best things in life aren't things, like your kid asking 'did you see me throw that ball' and you answer 'yes I did'; your best friend who cuts out comic strips and sends them in the mail so you can laugh too; a friend who thinks enough of you to answer a question honestly... It’s just the everyday stuff..."

And that got me thinking about a book I read once called 10,001 Things To Be Happy About. In that book was words... LOTS of words. About 10,001 of them, I think.

I remember seeing such words as:

strawberries
pancakes
puppies
fresh sheets
leaves
lakes
carmels

All normal stuff. All very special stuff. All everyday stuff. All things to be thankful for.

And all things that cause us to stop and think.

Juanita is so right. Those little things are very special things. And the next time I see a comic strip that tickles me? I'm cuttin' it out. And sending it on.

I will be the one who will be better off because of it.
.