I love quotes and I’m constantly writing them down on scraps of paper when I read books and magazines or watch films. Bad thing is I usually can’t read my chicken scratching so I have to search the internet to find the exact quote’s words and the person to attribute it to. Been reading quotes most of the afternoon while indulging in some Bonanza and Gunsmoke episodes. Haven’t watched tv except for the Saturday football games since last winter. Just sat down for a minute after some porch pondering and bird watching and just lazily stayed in my lady den chair. Guess I’m a bona fide quotophile.

Did a little research to see which verse from the Bible is the most quoted and guessed correctly, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Number One on all the lists of the world’s greatest quotes is, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” Franklin D. Roosevelt. I love Benjamin Franklin’s common sense quote, “A small leak will sink a great ship,” and I appreciate the deep thoughts of those simple words. I could write lots of thoughts on that quote.

Alan Bennett captured how I feel sometimes when I’m writing my thoughts — “The best moments in reading are when you come across something — a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things — which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.” It amazes me sometimes that I think I have this great original thought and when I do some research on that topic I find I’m not the only one with that same thought. Dorothy L. Sayers says, “I always have a quotation for everything — it saves original thinking.” That’s a good one!

This next quote is advice we should all take to heart — “LIFE. Find a passion and pursue it. Fall in love. Dream big. Drink wine, eat great food and spend quality time with good friends. Laugh everyday. Believe in magic. Tell stories. Reminisce about the good old days but look with optimism to the future. Travel often. Learn more. Be creative. Spend time with people you admire. Seize opportunities when they reveal themselves. Love with all your heart. Never give up. Do what you love. Be true to who you are. Make time to enjoy the simple things in life. Spend time with family. Forgive even when it’s hard. Smile often. Be grateful. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Follow your dreams. Try new things. Work hard. Don’t count the minutes, count the laughs. Embrace change. Trust in yourself. Be thankful. Be nice to everyone. Be happy. Live for today. And above all, make every moment count.” — From the mind tenants

Picking a few lines from that quote I’d say “love with all your heart, make time to enjoy the simple things in life, spend time with family and friends, be grateful, thankful, and nice, and make every moment count,” is great advice for us all. God wants us to live a joyful life full of compassion and kindness. He wants us to treat people fairly and respectfully. Most importantly God wants us to live a life of Christian example for others, sharing our faith and his love by our words and actions. “Be happy and live for today.” We’re not promised a tomorrow.

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” — Albert Einstein