Whether life is fated or not, the way in which you handle adversity either softens or hardens your heart. If you rise the the occasion, meeting the challenges that come your way with courage, honesty, inventiveness, and determination, it matters not if you succeed or fail. Either way you will be a better man or …
Tag: gregg hake
Go Forward
"'Go back?' he thought. 'No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!' So up he got, and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter." ― J.R.R. Tolkien, …
Education
"Look at children. Of course they may quarrel, but generally speaking they do not harbor ill feelings as much or as long as adults do. Most adults have the advantage of education over children, but what is the use of an education if they show a big smile while hiding negative feelings deep inside? Children …
The Light we Throw
"Persons appear to us according to the light we throw upon them from our own minds." - Laura Ingalls Wilder Where you stand in any given moment - literally and figuratively - determines your perspective on the world around you. If you are looking at the world radiantly, and seeking to liberate those around you …
Jumping Rock
"Jumping Rock", a poem by Gregg Hake Water breaking on the shore Children begging, "Just once more!" Jumping gaily from the rock (Times like these there is no clock) Laughing, splashing, silly games New found friends – "What were their names?" Such is life on idle days: Perfect in so many ways
Restoration of Privilege
I read an interesting statement last evening about forgiveness that I thought you might find interesting and possibly applicable to your life: "Forgiveness never implies restoration of privilege to the offender." This statement caught my eye and interest because I've often wondered why there is such a strong tendency in people not to forgive. Consider …
Love’s Great Arc
"Love's Great Arc", a poem by Gregg Hake Love's great arc which spans all time And courses through the poet's rhyme Seeks to land in fertile soil Free of hate, greed, fear, and toil When it lands without a sound After finding sacred ground Life's sweet harp begins to play.
Repose
Repose is more than just rest or inactivity. Repose is also found in the full assumption of responsibility. Repose is found in handling the easy and the challenging matters of living with equal grace, dignity, and attention. Repose is found in honesty, forthrightness and transparency. Repose is available in times of quiet rest, as well …
Propensities and Principles
"Propensities and principles must be reconciled by some means." ― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre When propensities and principles fail to align, self-righteousness supplants righteousness. Moreover, passive aggression tends to replace assertiveness in the cause of truth. A house divided in this sense requires compromise, and that compromise typically leads to a loss of integrity.
The Lesser Man
Of the wrongdoer and the avenger, the latter is the lesser man, for he who seeks to exact revenge upon another succumbs to judgment, and fears the pressure love would put on his own imperfections and improprieties were he to embrace it in the face of wrongdoing or ingratitude.
Gregory Hake 