Tag Archives: Ralph Waldo Emerson

On Leisure

On Leisure

leisureA Quote to Carry You

June 1, 2015

“Guard well your spare moments.  They are like uncut diamonds.  Discard them and their value will never be known.  Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

On leisure…I don’t know about you, but it seems that when it comes to keeping busy with work or other tedious activities, I excel time and time again.  Regarding leisure, taking the time to rest and relax, well, let’s suffice it to say that I could use a lesson or two in that department!  For me, time seems to be the one thing that gets used up more quickly than any other resource that I have.  In the same vein, spare time is one of my most valuable assets.  It is somewhat of a paradox, time and how I spend it.  Since I often seem to have so little of it to spare on any given day, shouldn’t setting some of it aside to rest and enjoy it be a high priority?  Hmmm…I think I’ve just answered my own question!

How about you; do you allow time for leisure in your daily or weekly schedule?  Are you missing out on all that rest and relaxation have to offer you?  May you take the time for leisure, no matter what it may cost you…I think you’ll realize, as I have myself, that in the long run, not taking the time to take a break is something that you really cannot afford.

Peace and love,

Felecia

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Nothing Will Be Impossible For You

Nothing will be impossible for you

“Fill Me,” photograph by Felecia R. Weber 2015, OntheWingofaDove.com

“Nothing will be impossible for you.”  There is hardly a truer statement, for when we put our faith in God, nothing is impossible.

“They can conquer who believe they can.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Nothing will be impossible for you” was a theme that lingered in my mind while I visited with my parents during these past holidays.  As always for me, being at my childhood home made me feel comforted and secure; as if nothing in the world could harm me.  Both of my parents have always gently encouraged me to seek, explore and to develop into the person God made me to be.  My recent visit with them was no different.  Their soothing  words affirming that I have much to give and that God has a unique purpose for my life filled me with a renewed confidence in my abilities.  By the time I’d loaded my little dog and our belongings into the car to return to New York, I felt ready to conquer this new chapter in my life.

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.”  Matthew 17:20-21

“Nothing will be impossible for you;” do you believe that?  How is it that we can find confidence in such a statement?  The answer is not a difficult one, but it does require something of us.  When we strive to achieve something important in our lives, getting from point A to point B can seem like a foreboding mountain full of nothing but difficulties and disappointments.  It seems like no matter how many or how few resources we have, there is just no easy way to plow through that mountain of misery…it just seems impossible!  But wait!  There is more to it than that.

“Nothing will be impossible for you.”  There is hardly a truer statement, for when we put our faith in God, nothing is impossible.  God promises to supply all of our needs, and to see us safely through any situation…even moving mountains.  All we need to do is turn it over to Him and trust Him to do so…do you?

Peace and love,

Felecia

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Life Is Good

life is good

Forest scene, photograph by David Brown

 

Life is good…no matter what…it’s all in how you live it!

“It is not the length of life, but the depth of life.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Life Is Good

Life is good.

There’s no other way to see it.

Go ahead and live your life…just be it!

Life is good.

No matter what you’ve been given.

There is no substitute for life…and livin’!

Life is good.

Sure some days will be dark.

Don’t dwell on them though; or you’ll surely miss the mark!

Life is good.

I think of life as an enormous gift.

Let the wonder of each day unfold and give your spirits a lift!

Life is good.

And just think of how much there is left in store.

Why not see for yourself; go on…just step outside the door!

Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

May you always see the goodness of life, no matter what you are going through…and may you always live it to the fullest.  Carpe diem!

Peace and love,

Felecia

 

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On Beauty

On Beauty

on beautyA Quote to Carry You

April 21, 2014

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting,”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

I remember as a little girl walking to and from elementary school in the springtime.  I loved trailing along the little dirt path that wound through a small patch of woods.  It made me feel as though I were walking through a magical forest…the fresh green leaves seemed to pop out as fast as I could spot them!  The sweetness in the mild air lingered in my nose even after I’d gotten to school or home.  Memories such as these make me so grateful for having the chance to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation that surrounds all of us.  It is a beauty that cannot be written in any other language, nor spoken in any other voice…for it comes from God alone.

May you “read” the words of the beauty that surrounds you today and let it fill your heart with God’s love.

Peace to you,

Felecia

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My Dreams, My Journey

My Dreams, My Journey

“The Octopus,” 1912, Alvin Langdon Coburn. Image taken from a page of the 2011 Desk Calendar, courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store

My dreams, my journey…traveling through life is quite an adventure.

Sometimes life can feel like a journey.  With no map to guide us, it is surprisingly easy to get off the beaten path, and end up heading in an entirely new direction.  I must admit that I have a terrible sense of direction…just ask anyone who knows me personally and they will confirm that to be true.  I couldn’t tell you whether I am heading east or west, north or south, to save my life!  Whenever I plan to travel to some place new, I make certain that I have a map, written directions, and GPS readily on hand to get me there.  When traveling along the road of life, however, there is no compass, there are no street signs, there may even be a few detours, which can be much harder to navigate.  So what is it that guides us?  How do we find our way?

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

For me, it seems I travel my life’s journey even in my sleep.  I have a recurring dream that crept into my slumber just recently.  I am in my car driving to work, motoring along on my usual route.  As I proceed,  I notice that the road is getting progressively narrow, and the smooth surface of the asphalt is getting rougher and rockier…before I know it the road is littered with stones; some as large as boulders!  At this point, my vehicle is now a bicycle which I am frantically pedaling for fear I will be late for work.  I am not alone on the road at this point as now there is a little girl, also on a bicycle, weaving back and forth along the path in front of me.  She gets so close sometimes that I think I’ll topple over her.  Finally I step off of my bike and wheel it along side of me, all the while the little girl laces her jagged string of distractions closer and tighter around me.  I keep trudging along for a while in this manner, trying to avoid her.  Suddenly the little girl disappears, trailing off onto some discreet trail. The rocky road ends  and before me is a huge majestic view of a never-ending valley.

That dream varies here and there whenever I dream it, but the feeling that I have when I awaken from it is always the same.  I have this overwhelming sense of lightness of being and an excitement that makes me want to jump out of bed and start afresh.  What lies in the hours ahead of me beckons me as if I am about to embark on a new journey….a wonderful adventure!  Certainly I have an idea of what the day before me holds, the things that make up my daily routine.  But like the little girl in my dream who keeps seemingly to get in the way of my travels, the challenges and surprises that will surely cause me to alter my normal route, often times are the very things that lead to the best destination for me.  The way is not always clear, the mode of transportation from one interruption to the next frustration may not always be ideal. One thing is for sure, holding on tightly to the reigns of what God has revealed to me and continually treading forward in that, I know that I will get to where I need to be each step of the way.

How about you? As you look back at the souvenirs of your life’s journey so far, remembering the paths that have led to where you are now…what is it that has brought you there; where will your journey take you?

Peace,

Felecia

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A Quote to Carry You – October 14, 2013

A Quote to Carry YouA Quote to Carry You 

October 14, 1013

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Where I have been, where I am heading…the longer I live, the more I ponder such things.  Even more so, how what fills my mind fills my heart, and in turn, fills my life.  What lies within you? What shapes your thinking? What fills your heart?  It is my hope that they are the things that will provide you with everything that is good in life.

Peace,

Felecia

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