Showing posts with label Inspirational Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inspirational Thoughts. Show all posts

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is a day when we take time out to reflect on all the blessings we have been given in our lives. It is also the unofficial beginning of the holiday season - a time for us to renew our connections with our family, our friends, and our faith.
Here is a Holiday Wish from me to you...

May your holiday season
be filled with memories and meaning,
with much to be happy about.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

I AM THANKFUL...

FOR THE WIFE WHO SAYS IT'S HOT DOGS TONIGHT,
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME, AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE...

FOR THE HUSBAND WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME AND NOT OUT AT A BAR...

FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES,
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREET...

FOR THE TAXES I PAY,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED...

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS...

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUGLY,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT...

FOR MY SHADOW THAT WATCHES ME WORK,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM OUT IN THE SUNSHINE...

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING,
WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING,
AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME...

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH...

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM...

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN WORKING HARD...

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS,
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE...

AND FINALLY, FOR HAVING TOO LITTLE TIME FOR MYSELF...
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE PEOPLE WHO LOVE ME, WANT ME, AND NEED ME.

Live well, Laugh often, & Love with all of your heart...
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Monday, November 5, 2007

Hang In There...

Don't Quit
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but do not quit.
Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
—Anonymous

Monday, October 8, 2007

Upcoming Event - Mass For Persons With Disabilities, November 4, 2007


INVITES PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES TO ATTEND OUR

Annual Mass Celebrating the US Bishops 1978 Pastoral Statement
on Persons with Disabilities

Celebrated by His Emminence, Sean Cardinal O'Malley, OFM Cap.

Sunday, November 4th, 2007 at 11:30am
At St. Mary's of the Sacred Heart Parish
392 Hanover Street, Hanover, MA
781-826-4303

Reception & refreshments will follow the Mass.

Please join us as we celebrate this important document that calls for the full and active participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of the Church.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILE SEATING * ASL INTERPRETED *
PROGRAMS IN BRAILLE

For more information, please contact
Karen Murray
Office of Life and Family Ministries
2121 Commonwealth Ave
Brighton, MA 02135
617.746.5679
The Life and Family Office
2121 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02135
Phone 617.746.5800 • Fax 617.783.5642
Copyright © 2005 Life and Family Office - Archdiocese of Boston. All Rights Reserved.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Christopher Reeve - In Memorium

Christopher Reeve passed away on October 10, 2004. At only 52 years old, it was far too soon. The world mourned his death, and we all reflected on the memories he left behind for each of us. And as we approach the anniversary of his passing, we all agree: No one epitomized a true hero better than Christopher Reeve. Never before has there been so much hope and optimism that cures and treatments for SCI will be found. Christopher's legacy is that we continue his journey on behalf of millions of people worldwide living with paralysis.

Christopher Reeve was born on September 25, 1952 in New York City. While the world knew him for his incredible role as Superman, those who knew him personally remember him to be so much more than just an exquisite actor. Christopher Reeve was an extraordinary father, a loving husband, a human rights advocate, an avid adventurer, an environmentalist, an author, a director, and an accomplished pianist. He was also a pilot who had made two solo trips across the Atlantic, a outdoor enthusiast who skied, sailed, scuba dived, played tennis, and canoed alone into the wilderness.

In 1985, at the age of 33, Christopher began horseback riding and by 1989 was competing in events, which included cross-country jumping. On May 27, 1995, Christopher Reeve was thrown from a horse and suffered a spinal cord injury so severe, that he became completely paralyzed from the neck down.

Christopher initiated a sea of change. Through his leadership, the Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF) was born and grew exponentially re-shaping the world of spinal repair research. Under his guidance, CRF’s research programs have tripled and today spans from very basic science (molecular and cellular research) to clinical application (testing and delivering promising therapies to patients). Research dollars can hardly keep up with the momentum that he has ignited.

Christopher fought to increase research funding and attention at a federal level by appearing in front of Congress as a patient advocate. And while ardent research continued, Dana Reeve established the Quality of Life Grants Program to aid organizations working to enhance the quality of life for those living through the day-to-day challenges of disability. In order to address individual quality of life needs, Christopher and Dana co-founded the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center. A first of its kind, the Paralysis Resource Center provides information to people around the world desperate to learn about everything related to paralysis, such as updates on leading research efforts, sources for equipment and support groups, answers for a myriad inquiries on insurance and governmental bureaucracies. Never had there been a team like Christopher and Dana Reeve – so revered and loved for their partnership, both professionally and personally.

Christopher’s legacy through the Christopher Reeve Foundation is strong and enduring. It is humbling to comprehend how one man, who for the last decade of his life was a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic, could change the world.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Words of Wisdom

"Live for today, but always hold out hope for tommorrow."


And from one of my readers:

"Don't let past successes, yours or others, lead you to believe the matter is resolved."

Thursday, September 20, 2007

A World Of Difference

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

– Mahatma Gandhi

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Reach For The Stars!

Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.


-author unknown

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

GOD BLESS AMERICA


“America The Beautiful”

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self the country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!


O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!


Written by Katharine Lee Bates, of Falmouth, Massachusetts


We will never forget...September 11, 2001 - September 11, 2007

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Happy Anniversary!!!



Today is my 6th wedding anniversary, and it offers me a chance to reflect on all the blessings I have been given in my life - a loving husband and family, a nice home, good health and great friends and colleagues who are supportive of my disability. I know that I am very lucky to have all these things, and I thank God for them every day.

My husband and I were married in a seaside chapel on Cape Cod on August 25, 2001. We returned home from our two-week honeymoon on Monday, September 10, 2001 - just one day before that infamous day that changed America forever.

Below is an ancient Irish prayer that we read at our nuptial mass. I chose it for my wedding ceremony because its message resonates with me personally as a woman with an Irish Catholic background. However, this prayer has taken on a much deeper meaning since September 11th.

Prayer for Protection from St. Patrick's Breastplate

Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in quiet,
Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouths of friend and stranger.



I am pictured above with my neice Aideen at age 4, who was my flower girl.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Dream Big Dreams!

“I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center. Big, undreamed-of things—the people on the edge see them first.”

-Kurt Vonnegut

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Wish Me Luck...

I'm leaving today for Washington, DC for the Ms Wheelchair America Pageant. I'm excited and nervous, but I'm looking forward to a great time!

Here's a poem by Robert Frost, which offers some wisdom on taking chances...


The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Friday, June 22, 2007

The Odyssey of Life

I majored in English in college because I love to read and write. I love everything from classic literature to contemporary romance to Victorian poetry.

Below is an excerpt from one of my favorite poems. I find it inspirational because it deals with the human ability to never give up, even when faced with a long, hard journey.


Ulysses

Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

OUTWITTED

- by Edward Markham

He drew a circle that shut me out ---
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout
But love and I had the wit to win
We drew a circle that took him in.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Happy Father's Day!!!

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.


-T.S. Elliot, The Hollow Men



Today is a day when we pay tribute to our fathers, and honor their role in our lives. My father is many things to many people, including: a devoted husband of 41 years, a grandfather, teacher, guidance counselor, novelist, entrepreneur, and avid sports fan. Known as "Jack" by family and friends, my father is a man of few words, so when he says something to me I try to listen...


Ten gifts I have received from my father:


10. An undying devotion to all of Boston's sports teams
9. Wonderful childhood memories of Craigville Beach and Cape Cod
8. An addiction to Brigham's chocolate frappes
7. An entrepenerial spirit
6. The importance of unheralded generosity
5. Respect for life
4. An aspiration to higher education
3. A Herculean work ethic
2. The gift of faith
1. Leading by example

Thanks for all of your love, guidance and support dad. Happy father's day!

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

The Power of Positive Thinking

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right."

-Anonymous

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

"People-first" Language: Using Words with Dignity

Even though we live in a world which seems to lean too heavily sometimes on Political Correctness (PC), it is still important to avoid negative connotations and attitudes when referring to or about someone who may be different from ourselves. This is especially true regarding people with disabilities.

A basic rule of thumb is to make reference to the person first, and then the disability, such as: "a person with a disability," rather than a "disabled person." Always use an adjective as a description, not as a priority. Here is a good example: always say, "the architect who uses a wheelchair," rather than "the wheelchair architect."

The words we choose to use are also important. Some are acceptable while others may be considered outdated or even offensive. Below are some important distinctions.

Do Not Use...

confined to a wheelchair
handicapped
crippled
victim
patient (except in hospital)
invalid
stricken with
deaf and dumb
deaf mute
birth defect
inflicted or afflicted
deformed
poor
unfortunate
shut-in

Try these words instead...

physically disabled
person with a disability
person with mental retardation
person with a developmental disability
person who is blind
person who has a speech impairment
person with a learning disability
deaf person
non-speaking deaf person
hearing-impaired (some hearing capability)
person in a wheelchair
person who uses a wheelchair
person who is home-bound

Remember, if someone asks you, "How do you treat a person with a disability?" The answer is simple: "Like a person!"

Monday, May 28, 2007

MEMORIAL DAY 2007









Today is a national holiday honoring all the brave American men and women who have ever served in the military to protect our great country. I attended the Memorial Day Observance Ceremonies in Falmouth, Cape Cod, in honor of our veterans.










Below is one of my all-time favorite poems, written on a battlefield in 1915.


FLANDERS FIELDS

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Written By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Thank You for Donation - Anonymous Friend


I received a donation today for the Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts Organization from an "anonymous friend" who wishes me well in the national competition. This "friend" thanked me for all my efforts since being crowned, and said in the attached note I am "doing important work" that will impact the lives of others in a meaningful way.

It is so rewarding to realize that the advocacy work I've been doing has not gone unseen or unheard. This is my priority for the upcoming year, and I intend to give it my all!

Thank you too to all my sponsors. The deadline for my application fee for the national pageant is quickly approaching, so any contributions are welcome and appreciated!!!

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Happy Mother's Day!!!

To the world you might just be one person,

but to one person you might just be the world.

-Author Unknown




Today is a day when we pay tribute to our mothers, and honor their role in our lives. My mother is many things to many people, including a devoted wife of 41 years, a grandmother, a teacher, a writer, a hard worker, a caretaker, and an angel. She is my best friend and biggest fan! I wouldn't be where I am today without her love and guidance.

Ten Gifts I Have Received From My Mother:

10. A Great Love and Appreciation of Literature
9. The Ability to Laugh at Almost Anything
8. The Courage to Persevere
7. The Importance of Responsibility & Committment
6. The Need to Forgive
5. The Value of Strength & Fortitude
4. Understanding, Compassion, and Kindness
3. Seemingly Limitless Patience
2. The Gift of Faith
1. Leading By Example

Thanks for always being there for me. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!