FROM ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER

When you are sad... I will dry your tears.
When you are scared... I will comfort your fears.

When you are worried... I will give you hope.
When you are confused... I will help you cope.

And when you are lost... and can't see the light,
I shall be your beacon... shining ever so bright.

This is my oath... I pledge till the end.
Why you may ask? Because you're my friend.

THE COLOR PURPLE

Introducing herself, she said, "I grew up in the color purple." She went on to explain that she had survived her childhood in a terrible ghetto in Mississippi and had scratched and clawed her way to a high ranking position as a military chaplain.

With advanced degrees in theology, psychology, and personnel management she had a very impressive resume. But she was not happy.

Later in a therapy session, she cried out in deep despair, "Grandmama you told me with a good education, I could leave the ghetto behind. Grandmama, you were wrong. I got the good education but the ghetto is still living inside." And that was the beginning of her journey toward wholeness.

When will we ever learn? You can't fix inside problems with outside solutions. She couldn't, neither can you.

Quotes from Fr. John Powell

If I am to tell you who I really am,
I must tell you about my feelings.

The sun only shines, just as God only loves.
It is the nature of the sun to shine;
It is the nature of God to love.

Fully alive people are sensitively aware
Of all that is good in themselves.

Love is practiced in the act of sharing...
Communication is the very essence of love in practice.

Whatever my secrets are,
Remember when I entrust them to you,
They are part of me.

PERKS FOR BEING OVER 60

1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
3. No one expects you to run-- anywhere.
4. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
5. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
6. Things you buy now won't wear out.
7. Your secrets are safe with friends because they can't remember them either.
8. Your joints are more accurate forecasters than the national weather service.
9. You can sing along with elevator music.
10.You can live without sex but not your glasses.

From Senator Barry Goldwater-- 9/16/81

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
On religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being.

But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both.

I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' and 'D.' Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me?

And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of 'conservatism'.

Here's 7-week-old Lila Hope Duncan

Tag Line-- Grace Cathedral (San Francisco)

"Reconnecting your Spirit without disconnecting your Mind."