The cover is barely holding it together (I feel like Indiana Jones handling a priceless artefact), but the words are strong and beautifully expressed. I find myself raising my eyebrows and shaking my head a little as I read her thoughts, confirming the notion that little has changed in at least 150 years.

I’m not sure whether I feel relieved or horrified by this. I have always intimated that people have essentially stayed the same on the inside, but is that changing now with our ever-shrinking world?

There’s so much in this book that I want to share, that I don’t know with which point to start!

I’ve turned to the chapter titled: Women of the World.

Dinah writes:

What will the next generation come to?
What will they be – those unborn millions who are to grow up into our men and our women?
The possible result, even in a practical, to say nothing of a moral light, is awful to think upon.
Can it not be averted?
Can we not – since, while the power of the world is with men, the influence lies with women – can we not bring up our girls more usefully and less showily?
Can we not teach them from babyhood that to labour is a higher thing than merely to enjoy; that even enjoyment itself is never so sweet as when it has been earned?
Can we not put into their minds, whatever be their station, principles of truth, simplicity of taste, helpfulness, hatred of waste; and, these being firmly rooted, trust to their blossoming up in whatever destiny the young maiden may be called to?

A woman after my own heart.

I feel like that last paragraph can equally be applied to our young boys – all people.
What simple, logical and fantastic guidelines to live by.

Question #135: So what does the future hold for us, knowing the same questions were being asked 150 years ago?

If we envision dark days – can it not be averted?

I wonder what Dinah would think of today’s state of affairs…how intriguing would that conversation be?

Deep Breath

x

Dinah Craik

I had never heard of Sir Keith Park, who saved London

Like most people, I know a lot about what happened during my parent’s generation’s time.

So I grew up knowing a lot about the Second World War.

But, until I visited the RAF Museum in Hendon yesterday, I had never heard of Sir Keith Park.

A New Zealander, he was in operational command of the defence of London during the Battle of Britain in World War Two and, later in the War, in charge of the defence of Malta.

I had, of course, heard of British national hero ‘Bomber’ Harris, who is now partially discredited because of his bombing of Dresden but I had never heard of Sir Keith Park.

The dividing line between being remembered and being forgotten by history is thin and random.

When I woke up this morning, the Google.com homepage was celebrating the 197th birthday of Augusta Ada King, countess of Lovelace – aka Ada Lovelance.

I had never heard of her but, in 1843, she first published the idea of inputting punch cards to Charles Babbage’s ‘Analytic Machine’.

Charles Babbage, of whom I had heard, designed his Analytic Machine purely as a powerful calculator but is remembered as the father of computing. The less-remembered (and, by me, totally unknown) Ada is, according to Google, considered by some “the world’s first computer programmer, as well as a visionary of the computing age”.

The dividing line between being remembered and being forgotten by history really is random.

John Logie Baird and his misguided ‘Televisor’ in around 1925

Everyone knows John Logie Baird invented television.

Except, of course, he did not. He had the wrong system.

My favourite author, George Eliot, is usually credited with the quote “It is never too late to be what you might have been” and it sounds, indeed, very much like her. But it seems to have actually been an urban myth type variation on a quote from the novel John Halifax, Gentleman by the almost totally forgotten Dinah Mulock Craik.

The original quote is the unmemorable: ”You mean, Mr. Halifax, what I might have been. Now it is too late.”

That has pretty much the opposite meaning to the more famous remembered quote ”It is never too late to be what you might have been,” which seems to have been conjured out of nowhere by generations of misquotation.

Who is remembered and why and for what is fairly random.

My name is Ozymandias, king of kings

Sic transit gloria. 

Ars longa vita brevis.

They all seem to cover it.

But I, perhaps not surprisingly, prefer to remember a quote from Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, a novel set partly in the post-War US, partly during the bombing of Dresden by Bomber Harris’ planes and partly on the fictional planet of Tralfamadore:

“Now when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I simply shrug and say what the Tralfamadorians say about dead people, which is ‘so it goes’.”

Sun Pillar (Photo credit: Axiraa)

Summer Noon

O for a summer noon, when light and breeze
Sport on the grass, like ripples o’er a lake
Alive with freshness! when the full round Sun,
With the Creator’s smile upon his face,
Walks like a prince of glory through the path
Of Heaven!—Thou vast, and ever-glorious sky,
Mantling the earth with thy majestic robe…
~Robert Montgomery, “Beautiful Influences,” A Universal Prayer; Death; A Vision of Heaven; and A Vision of Hell; &c. &c., 1829

Cropped screenshot of Robert Montgomery from the trailer for the film The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Friendship

But oh! the blessing it is to have a friend to whom one can speak fearlessly on any subject; with whom one’s deepest as well as one’s most foolish thoughts come out simply and safely.  Oh, the comfort – the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person – having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.  ~ A Life for a Life, 1859

Dinah Maria Craik (née Mulock), by Sir Hubert von Herkomer (died 1914), given to the National Portrait Gallery, London in 1946. See source website for additional information. This set of images was gathered by User:Dcoetzee from the National Portrait Gallery, London website using a special tool. All images in this batch have been confirmed as author died before 1939 according to the official death date listed by the NPG. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 LUCK

The only sure thing about luck is that it will change.  ~Wilson Mizner

Fortune brings in some boats that are not steered.  ~ William Shakespeare

Bust of William Shakespeare (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Depend on the rabbit’s foot if you will, but remember it didn’t work for the rabbit.  ~R.E. Shay

English: Victorian rabbit’s foot with silver mounts thought to bring luck. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

]]> http://holisticquotes.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/the-blessing-it-is-to-have-a-friend/ Sat, 02 Jun 2012 13:23:46 +0000 theholisticdirectory http://holisticquotes.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/the-blessing-it-is-to-have-a-friend/ But oh! the blessing it is to have a friend to whom one can speak fearlessly on any subject; with whom one’s deepest as well as one’s most foolish thoughts come out simply and safely.  Oh, the comfort – the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person – having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.
Dinah Craik, A Life for a Life, 1859

Our wedding was many years ago.  The celebration continues to this day.  ~Gene Perret

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A wedding anniversary is the celebration of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity.  The order varies for any given year.  ~Paul Sweeney

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Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots.  ~Hoosier Farmer

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The bonds of matrimony are like any other bonds – they mature slowly.  ~Peter De Vries

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Love is one long sweet dream, and marriage is the alarm clock.  ~Author Unknown

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Spouse:  someone who’ll stand by you through all the trouble you wouldn’t have had if you’d stayed single.  ~Author Unknown

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It’s so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.  ~Rita Rudner

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Marriage, n:  The state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress, and two slaves, making in all, two.  ~Ambrose Bierce

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The difficulty with marriage is that we fall in love with a personality, but must live with a character.  ~Peter Devries

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A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.  ~Mignon McLaughlin

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Never go to bed mad.  Stay up and fight.  ~Phyllis Diller, Phyllis Diller’s Housekeeping Hints, 1966

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If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?  ~Source Unknown

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Infatuation is when you think he’s as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Conners.  Love is when you realize that he’s as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford – but you’ll take him anyway.  ~Judith Viorst, Redbook, 1975

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Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.  ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

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Love is a symbol of eternity.  It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end.  ~Author Unknown

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Love one another and you will be happy.  It’s as simple and as difficult as that.  ~Michael Leunig

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An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow.  ~Author Unknown

The highest happiness on earth is marriage.  ~William Lyon Phelps

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Trip over love, you can get up.  Fall in love and you fall forever.  ~Author Unknown

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Are we not like two volumes of one book?  ~Marceline Desbordes-Valmore

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Without love, what are we worth?  Eighty-nine cents!  Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely.  ~M*A*S*H, Hawkeye

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Love is not singular except in syllable.  ~Marvin Taylor

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Love is a sweet tyranny, because the lover endureth his torments willingly.  ~Proverb

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A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short.  ~Andre Maurois

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A man reserves his true and deepest love not for the species of woman in whose company he finds himself electrified and enkindled, but for that one in whose company he may feel tenderly drowsy.  ~George Jean Nathan

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True love stories never have endings.  ~Richard Bach

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Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold.  ~Zelda Fitzgerald

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We’re all a little weird.  And life is a little weird.  And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness – and call it love – true love.  ~Robert Fulghum, True Love

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Remember, if you smoke after sex you’re doing it too fast.  ~Woody Allen

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Sex on television can’t hurt you unless you fall off.  ~Author Unknown

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No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens.  ~Abraham Lincoln

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If two stand shoulder to shoulder against the gods,
Happy together, the gods themselves are helpless
Against them while they stand so.
~Maxwell Anderson

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Love is not the dying moan of a distant violin – it’s the triumphant twang of a bedspring.  ~S.J. Perelman

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Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.  ~Dinah Craik

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Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.  ~Marcel Proust

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“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

Sandra Giese "Goose" at the MOCA, LA

Good friends teach lessons that last a lifetime. I suppose that’s why we come together- the learning. It wasn’t just the learning though, Goose was one of those friends that stick. It didn’t matter what was going on, we always stayed connected. I knew her stories, her weaknesses, her triumphs and she knew mine. She was patient, loving, kind and authentic. She taught me to love old tattered things, to fix rather than replace, to see the beauty in the color orange and to dress according to what moves me, rather than to fit in with others. She taught me that healthy boundaries mean healthy relationships and that being able to say “no” is a sign of maturity and can be a kindness to others. She always had an antidote to stir new learning.  And, I know of no greater way to honor her, then to call attention to what I admired the most- she lived outside-the-box.

Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor to measure words but to pour them all out, just as it is, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keeping what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away. ~Dinah Craik

A friend is someone who knows your song and sings it to you when you have forgotten it. Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused. ~Alan Cohen

I remember the last time it was just you and me Goose. As we walked out of the MOCA , you took my hand, turned and looked directly into my eyes. I saw your childlike glee and we giggled. You said being together was always like being little girls… it just felt that good. I treasure you Goose. Godspeed.

Goose inspired my post, The Art of Noodling Simplicity.

Other mentions of Sandra Giese, Bonfires are Good for the Soul

We have special people we love ‘religiously’ in our lives. They might be our parents, friends, spouses etc. There is a unique ‘chemistry’ involved in these relationships. It’s quite exciting and different from what we feel for that ‘just another person’ in the streets. Love, passion, romance, guilt, jilt, deception are common in these relationships. “The line between love and hatred is very thin,” they say!. Be guaranteed that in many instances strong passionate love for someone can turn into hatred when they deceive us. There in comes stress, anxiety, panic & worry!

Friend, i count on you to try your level best to keep it cool and foster a good relationship with everyone around you. It can only save you a great deal of stress. Develop an open line of communication with those you love. If you encounter individuals who are always up for a confrontation or want to physically harm you, leave the company immediately! You are better of alone plus there are many good beneficial individuals out there in need of a good friend like you. Always strive to keep your relationships smooth, irrespective of it’s nature.

Some Useful Quotes:

1.”Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you, when the limo breaks down.”~Oprah Winfrey

2.”There are times when two people need to step apart from one another, but there is no rule that says they have to turn and fire.”~Robert Brault

3.”Shared joy is a double joy: shared sorrow is half a sorrow.”~Sweedish Proverb

4.”There’s one sad truth in life

i’ve found

while journeying east and

west-

The only folks we really

wound

Are those we love the best.

We flatter those we scarcely

know.

We please the fleeting guest,

And deal full many a

thoughtless blow

To those who love us best.”

~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

5. “Oh, the comfort-the

in expressible comfort of

feeling safe with a person-

having neither to weigh

thoughts nor measure

words, but pouring them all

right out, just as they are,

chaff and grain together;

certain that a faithful hand

will take and sift them, keep

what is worth keeping, and

then with the breath of

kindness blow the rest away.”

~Dinah Craik, A life for a life, 1859

Thank you friend,

Be Happy!

Abra.