Pages

Sunday, February 28, 2010

There is one

There is one who revels in the warmth of your smile. And finds your laughter infectious.

There is one who discovers insights in your musings. And meaning and purpose in your spirit.

There is one.

For you.

--By Ron Cooper

Saturday, February 27, 2010

God's good grace

Lasting memories of a good friend gone fill my heart. Now and always. I am assured his legacy will touch our lives for many years ahead. Loss leaves a void. But sorrow is one breath away from hope restored by God's good grace.

--By Ron Cooper

Joy is.....

Joy is the certainty that someone loves you. Loving is life's greatest pleasure--a soul-enriching experience!

--By Ron Cooper

Oops, forgot someone!

“A lot of people love you, Greta,” I announced to my toddler granddaughter one sunny day at the park a few years back. Then I started counting. Before long, what with parents, grandparents, other relatives and teachers, I had reached the grand sum of 38!

I felt a little smug.

But throughout it all, Greta was pensive. Finally, she looked at me earnestly and said: “You forgot God.”

Make that 39!

--By Ron Cooper

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Comfort

Comfort springs alive from the kind words of concerned friends.

--By Ron Cooper

The few

Many know you, but who knows your heart? If you can say you share your heart with but a few, you possess great fortune. It is the few who make us happy.

--By Ron Cooper

Gifts

Gifts bestowed
By God
Gifts reaped
For man
More blessings
Still

--By Ron Cooper

Good morning, serenity

Good morning, serenity
You soothe me
You are welcome today

Good morning, peace
You calm me
You are welcome today

Good morning, spirit
You guide me
You nurture me
You embrace me

You are welcome today
And every day

--By Ron Cooper

(Your comments are welcome!)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Tribute to my Dad

Hard to believe
Been almost a year
Since you left
Unexpectedly

A year of pain
And longing
When memories
Tug at our hearts
And leave us
Saddened
And reflective

Hard to believe
You’re gone, Dad
But you know
We still hold
Something dear:

Your loving spirit

--Your loving son Ron

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Uplifting advice

1. Look ahead, not behind. Too many regrets will suffocate your future.
2. Stay rooted in love, laughter and work worthy of your time and talent.
3. Embrace your dreams. Make them a constant in your life.

--By Ron Cooper
(Written for my children)

Saturday, February 20, 2010

How many miles?


In 45 years behind the wheel, I’ll bet that I’ve racked up a staggering 540,000 miles—based on the U.S. national average of 12,000 miles a year.

That’s the equivalent of going 21.6 times around the earth!

“Wow, what an accomplishment!” I first thought. I even started to feel a little cocky.

But then I started to wonder. How many of those miles went:

  • To visit the sick?
  • To feed the hungry?
  • To cheer up someone feeling down?
  • To run a chore for a shut-in?

How many were devoted:

  • To community service?
  • To the cause of peace?
  • To promote racial harmony?
  • To work for equality?

I’m not bragging any more because, well, I have no ready answers.

How about you?

--By Ron Cooper

Friday, February 19, 2010

Succeeding

Dear Greta,

We do not succeed alone. It takes the blessed assistance of those who care most about us and our contentment. When you succeed, take a bow for yourself—and all who unselfishly helped you to attain your moment in the spotlight!

--G'pa Ron

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Kindness is three inches toward the middle

I made my weekly stop to pick up mail from the post office box during icy weather. Patrons were tramping in melting snow as they entered the building.

A man exiting through the breezeway let out a yelp. His foot caught a haphazardly placed “Caution: Wet Floor” sign. He nearly tumbled to the ground, but luckily he caught himself in time.

I was alone in the breezeway. Carefully I put the sign halfway between the two doors, moving it just three inches toward the middle of the cramped space.

Then I thought, “Kindness is three inches toward the middle.”

--By Ron Cooper

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Ambitions held dear

Be kind to your ambitions and treat them as everlasting companions.

--By Ron Cooper

At peace

Count these moments
As
Too precious
Too few

At peace
At last

--Ron Cooper

(Please leave your comments!)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Spirit rises

The Spirit rises
On feet of gold
To glittering heights
Where none grow old

--By Ron Cooper

Prayer for laughter

May I spend my days soaring on the wings of a smile. Feeling well by laughing often. Laughter is healing, and smiling softens the hard edges of life.

--By Ron Cooper

(Please feel free to leave your comments!)

Healing prayer

Lord,

You know that stress inflicts a heavy toll on our minds, bodies and spirits. You know that it sucks the vitality out of our being and leaves us dead inside. In times like these, we feel hurt, exhausted and abandoned.

But we do have a friend in you, Lord. We turn to you to heal us with your Divine love. With you as our heavenly partner, we can overcome any obstacle, face any challenge. We have the confidence of a better day, a day when the gray gloom will be lifted and we can again smile into the fresh sunshine.

Thank you for healing us, Lord!

--By Ron Cooper

Your lucky number: 1

Your lucky number is 1

1 who adores you, though you are far from perfect
1 who trusts you, though your judgment may be flawed
1 who knows the real you, yet accepts you wholly
1 who never gives up on you, despite the obstacles
1 who feels your pain and shares your triumph
1 who sees your goodness and downplays your faults

For me, love
That one is you
You are the one
Who owns my heart

--By Ron Cooper
Dedicated to my lovely wife Tanya
Valentine’s Day
Feb. 14, 10

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Love for an angry young man

A young man visited our church. Afterward, during introductions, he did not give his name, but only said quietly, “I have a problem with anger.”

No one judged him. A church member reached over and touched his arm reassuringly and everything became still.

No one spoke, but you could feel the love in the room for this young man. I don’t know what became of the young man, for he never returned to our church.

But of this I am certain: “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”

--By Ron Cooper

The Parking Permit

A friend of mine who contracted cancer told this story of inspiration and kindness:

"A lady in my office has a "red" parking tag right by the front door (red tag spaces at our university are reserved spaces, and cost over a couple of hundred dollars). I have a "blue" tag, which means you end up walking a long way from the parking lot to your office.

"Chemo left me feeling exhausted. When I started back to work on a very limited basis, my friend insisted I take her "red" tag and park near the front door. She took my "blue" tag, and said she didn't mind in the least.

"This was during a particularly snowy, icy period--I felt SO guilty that she was walking from so far away to get to our building! But during those two weeks I used her tag, she never once complained.

"I managed to get a temporary handicapped parking tag that runs through the end of April, so am now close to my building. I gave the red tag back to her with many thanks.

"Unbelievably sad news: this week my friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. Talk about bad things happening to good people.

"Please hold my friend in the light. She is one of God's own angels. She is certainly one of mine."

--By Ron Cooper

Monday, February 8, 2010

Scatter these throughts throughout your day (4)

• Hug, don’t hit
• Build harmony at the office
• Don’t hate, cooperate
• Preach tolerance
• Hate poisons the soul
• Love embraces your life
• Don’t berate, collaborate

--By Ron Cooper

Prayer for patience (and more)

I pray for patience. Patience to move at a reasonable pace. Patience to slow down when I need to.

I pray for understanding. Understanding my limitations as all too human. Understanding I cannot do it all today.

I pray for love. Love of even my own imperfections. Love when I fall short of my unreasonable expectations.

I pray for patience, understanding, and love.

--By Ron Cooper

(Please leave your comments on this prayer...thanks!)

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Five lessons I learned from Mom

1. The spirit is never suppressed.
2. Humor lightens hardship.
3. Prayer is the fountain of hope.
4. Song praises the soul.
5. Family is forever.

(Note: Mom, who suffered from Alzheimer's for more than 12 years, passed away in October 2009)

--By her loving son
Ron Cooper

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Friendships are supreme!

Dear Greta,

A sign I saw recently said: Autumn, a time to harvest friendships.

I have noticed that you and your Mom are quite a bit alike when it comes to making friends. Each of you has a world of friends. This is indeed a good thing. In fact, your willingness to make friends says more about your character and wise choices in life than practically anything else in this world. Many of your friends will likely be your friends forever.

Throughout your life, develop friendships. Friends will help you through difficult times without judging you.

A good definition of a friend that I have read: They see right through you, but still like the view!

Love,
Grandpa Ron

Thursday, February 4, 2010

An admirable thing

I love you, dear wife, which is so true. But I admire you, too. Playing music for seniors in mirthless nursing homes is your contribution to a generation bowed by old age and slowed by infirmities. It is one little spark of light, your music-making, that goes a long way to brighten the lives of these forgotten people.

And I admire you for it.

Love,
Ron

A lasting hope

Hardship exacts
A woeful toll
Upon our tender
Souls

But quiet patience
Brings rewards
More lasting:
Hope

By Ron Cooper

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

My loving in-laws

Dear Jimmy and Loretta,

I am so grateful to be embraced by you and the extended family. The loss of my parents last year has made me realize ever more that family is the center of my life.

The comforting and calm presence of family gets you through the rough spots and makes the happy times even more precious.

Family is a safe harbor in a chaotic world. We help each other to weather the storm.

So in some small way, let me say thanks for being there during these times—good and bad.

It is one thing to love your wife. But when you can say that you love her parents and the rest of her family, you are (I am) indeed a lucky man.

Ron
 
Philosophy Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory Site Meter TopOfBlogs Philosophy Blogs