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The Road Less Traveled
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
~ Robert Frost
Friendship ~ Love
Friendship is a quiet walk in the park with the one you trust
Love is when you feel like you are the only two around.
Friendship is when they gaze into your eyes and you know they care.
Love is when they gaze into your eyes and it warms your heart.
Friendship is being close even when you are far apart.
Love is when you can still feel their hand on your heart when they are not near.
Friendship is hoping that they experience the very best.
Love is when you bring them the very best.
Friendship occupies your mind.
Love occupies your soul.
Friendship is knowing that you will always try to be there when in need.
Love is when you will give up everything to be at their side.
Friendship is a warm smile in the winter.
Love is a warming touch that sends a pulse through your heart.
Love is a beautiful smile to which nothing compares:
A tender laugh, which opens your heart,
A single touch that melts away your fears,
A smell that reminds you of the tenderness of heaven,
A voice that reminds you of the innocence of youth.
Ahhh… the glory of knowing, without any wavering doubt;
Life Is Truly What We Believe It To Be.
People are ultimately good, if we look for the good; Miracles happen daily, if we only open our eyes; Love conquers evil, if we only believe.
Belief is a gift to become empowered by, it is a moment in time spent reveling in the impossible and knowing that the impossible has become reality. It is an acceptance of who we truly are and who we see ourselves becoming.
We are the culmination of all that we dream and believe ourselves to be.
One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying. ~ Joan of Arc
Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around. ~Henry David Thoreau
With belief comes recognition, recognition that our lives have a purpose and a reason for existing. It is not just a random draw; it is with purpose and dedication and perseverance that we mold our lives into what makes us happy and content. We fulfill our purpose by first recognizing and acknowledging what this entails for us.
As we strive to persevere and find love, joy and happiness; we must also realize that life is indeed fragile and that it must be respected and honored and celebrated.
Life is our most precious gift.
~ Live Life ~
No love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever.
~Francois Muriac
To all my childhood friends: You will be in my heart forver. ~ Thank You!!
What is it that makes us fall in love with romantic novels, beautiful love songs and sunsets over beaches?
We stop, grab our cameras or just stare into the horizon and hold our breath as we wait for the precise moment when the sun disappears into the ocean. The color hues may vary but the transcendental moment that engulfs us is a memory we lock away forever.
I can’t imagine having never seen a sunset, never witnessing the deep colors, the tranquility and the magic that is present when each day fades into dusk but more than that I cannot imagine being given the opportunity to experince life and choosing instead to not look or feel.
Today I woke up counting my blessings.
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. ~Albert Einstein
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart. ~ Helen Keller
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle. ~ Albert Einstein
Louis Daniel Armstrong(August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. His nickname was Satchmo or Satch. He received this nickname in 1932 from magazine editor Percy Brooks who greeted him in London with “Hello Satchmo” and it stuck.
Armstrong was paid scale of $250 for his recording to make sure the orchestra got paid.
In the scheme of things, time is relative. It is relative to where we are and what we are doing and how we feel and what we dream and what we hope and if this happens and if this doesn’t and what if and whenever and whatever and however.
Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours. Each set with 60 diamond minutes. No reward is offered… for they are gone forever. ~ Horace Mann
Time seems to pass differently for each of us. It varies, depending on our age, our enjoyment of the moment and how we process “this time verses that” in our mind. Time has a way of rewriting the stories, of easing the pains and magnifying the celebrations. It has a way of healing our hearts and comforting our souls.
Scientifically, Einstein proved that time is relative to motion, not relative to individual perceptions. It has been proven in experiments that stopwatches in supersonic jets run slower that ones on the ground. Thus, it is proven that time is relative to speed.
Einstein believed that if we could build a machine that would reach the speed of light, time would theoretically stand still for the people aboard it.
Taking it one step farther, it seems possible to rewind time. Hummm…
I ask myself… What would I do differently if I could go back and do it all again?
What would be my most important goal in life? Would I treat the ones I love with admiration and respect? Would I tell the ones I love how much they mean to me on a daily basis? Would I take the time to enjoy the wonderful gifts that God has given us here on this beautiful earth?
Would I greet each day with a smile and a thank you? Would I enjoy the moments? Would I know that I am truly blessed?
Would I live my life in a way that I would not change a thing if I could go back and do it all again?
I am in love with a man who has found serenity and contentment in his life.
I am thankful to have met him at this juncture and appreciate all of the wisdom he is able to share with me.
We met on a path that has proven to be unpredictable, spontaneous, and much more than I could ever have imagined it to be. We have been on this trip around the sun for over 10 years now. Years full of love, laughter, music and song.
We have embraced all that we have dreamed possible and so many many more things that we could never have foreseen or expected. We have traveled like Vagabonds from the West coast to the East Coast and many places in between.
We have dreamed together, loved together and cried together. We have seen wonders that are so full of beauty that in describing them to others, part of the luster always falls by the wayside.
Our lives are whirling by with so many momentous moments that it is hard to keep track of when we did this and when we did that.
On this juncture, we are exploring the Southwest corner of the states during the hottest months of the year….. but as always we are giving it our all and living and loving and hoping and sharing as we embrace all that is before us.
Today I’m dreaming of the ocean, dreaming of a gypsy fire, a gypsy home and a gypsy tale. A tale that embraces the whole and expects nothing in return.
I’ve been told that each lifetime is full of lost opportunities; Lost opportunities to show love and lost opportunities to give love.
I have been reminded that we can never go back and retrace our steps, that we can never redo or make up for lost opportunities. We can only go forward, hopefully learn from the past and live for the future in a way that brings joy to our soul.
One way we can make a difference is by living a life that will make people smile when they remember. We can live each day thinking of the good instead of dwelling on the imperfect. We can strive to make others feel loved and important, happy and secure.
This is for you, my love, the one that always makes me remember and always charms me with your smile.
And places in the past become embedded in our soul.
As I listen to the waves crash on the shore.
I am grateful,
Grateful to have had you in my life.
The calming sound of the waves
Brings a kind of peace to my soul
And I know…
I know memories are our lifeline,
They sustain us and protect our heart.
I know I will remember
I’ll always remember.
And though my heart is hurting
I won’t dwell on the sorrow your passing has caused.
I won’t let my heart harden,
Or allow it to become shallow and empty.
I will reflect on the memories
What a wondrous collection of memories!
All good – I can’t think of one bad.
Only fun-filled times and adventures and happiness and joy.
When I think of you…
I will smile,
I will remember,
I will cry no more.
~ Tammy
Lost on a back road, somewhere between Panama City and Plains, I found myself thinking how much my friend would have loved this. He would have loved the fact that we were cruising along without a clue where we would end up. He would have loved all of the memories that this day was bringing to the forefront. He would have loved the fact that, in only a few hours, friends and family would gather to honor him and celebrate his life.
My friend had quite a life to celebrate. He had quite a life to look back on with happiness and should be proud of how his life has touched so many people in so many different walks of life. My friend was many things to many different people. He was a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a police officer, a community leader, a biker, a photographer, and mainly a friend to all who were a part of his world. My friend Keith, who I always called Red, loved the simple things in life and always made time to enjoy them.
Red spent his lifetime gathering friends to his side and put much more emphasis on these friends than other worldly, material treasures. He welcomed us all into his world with his hearty, bellowing laugh that rang out with pure joy and happiness. He greeted each day with a childlike enthusiasm and closed each down by watching and often time recording the beauty of the sunsets.
Red loved photographing lighthouses and I correlated this to his outlook on life. Red was steadfast and constant and dependable. He was an ever fixed mark. Our friendship, like a lighthouse, was perpetual and ever burning, helping me through turbulent times and shining bright with encouragement. I am blessed – I have had friendships that are a constant in my life. They are magnificent. They give off warmth and a glow that leads myself and others into their safety net and leads us away from the turbulent waters and rocks.
To live is the rarest thing in life… Most people exist, that is all. ~ Oscar Wilde
The language of friendship is not words but meanings. ~ Henry David Thoreau
No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever. ~ Francois Muriac
Does thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of. ~ Ben Franklin
I found myself trying to recall the exact moment our paths had crossed.I wanted so bad to remember the exact moment we met. I couldn’t – it seems he was always there. In reflecting back, it must have been the summer of my 8th grade school year around 1975 when I was only 13 years old. That summer was momentous in my life. It was then that I met my friend, my brother, the one person who never judged me, was always routing for me and who later became my link to the carefree days of my youth.
My friend, Red, was a constant during my formative years. He was at my house as much as he was at his own. We were closer than brother and sister and helped each other through our heartbreaks, problems with parents and all of the other trivialities that formed our lives.
Whenever I could not come out and play, Red was always there to load Jack Daniels and cigarettes into my makeshift pulley that I pulled up to my upstairs balcony.
He was always there to give me a ride to the bridge or the poker house or wherever we all decided to meet up.
He was always there right before any date I had just in time to take his hand and mess up my hair (he had to make sure I didn’t take myself too seriously!).
With Red, I learned the correct way to chug Miller Ponies from the tailgate of his pickup truck. With Red, I learned about getting stuck on lonely red dirt roads. Mainly I learned valuable life lessons about laughter and honesty and enjoying the ride.
I remember sneaking out of the Americus movie theater and going to Monroe’s to watch the boys shoot pool and sample the best hotdogs in the world. I remember how much fun concerts could be when you are young and with friends who seem to be the most important things in your life. I remember how much fun we had and all of our escapades when Jimmy Carter ran for president. I remember skipping school and drinking Billy Beer and how fearless and cool we all seemed to be. I remember the pool parties we had and the visits to the graveyard. I remember bear hunting in North Georgia, the famous “lost car” trip to Daytona Beach and watching Marshall Tucker @ Six Flags or Wild Adventures. Not for sure where, but it sure was fun!
I remember all the trips we took to Atlanta to visit Mary Evelyn, Red’s one true love, and all of our crazy adventures there and back home. I remember all the trips back to Plains to visit Red and Mary Evelyn and how Mary always allowed me and Red to remain friends without a bit of jealously or distrust. I remember how she welcomed me into their home and world after the two of them were married. More recently I remember us all dancing @ Harry A’s and Fathoms in Florida and our trips to the farmhouse.
I remember how our group of friends all promised to not let life turn us old and bitter and full of regret. I remember how we vowed to never lose touch. I am thankful to say that Red and I kept that promise. I am thankful that throughout the twists and turns of our lives we both knew that we were loved and that we were truly lifelong friends.
Red was my oldest and dearest friend. To this day, whenever I hear “Drift Away” I think of Red and drift back to Plains and remember the wonderful, carefree days gone by. Thank you Red for all of the crazy, fun filled memories that always make me smile.
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange suns rays
And dares to claim the sky.
But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.
But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.
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