new meanings

sometimes i read a quote or an excerpt from someone's writing that i instantly like. maybe it's the way it sounds, maybe it's the way the thought itself was expressed. whatever the case, i like it. then sometimes something occurs that makes the very words you were drawn to have a whole new meaning, they suddenly become more than words you like. they have impact.

i read the following quote on Ali's blog some time ago & i liked it enough to copy & paste it into an email to myself:


The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company ...a church ...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.

We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ...we are in charge of our attitudes. (Charles Swindoll)

today i saw, am seeing first hand, how someone's choice of attitude in a situation can keep them from feeling bitter & angry. instead they are someone who is warm & sweet, funny & genuine, honest & positive. i wonder if i could show that kind of unspoken strength of character if it were me. and i am humbled. you know who you are & you are in my heart & my thoughts...