Each of us wages a private battle each day between the grand fantasies we have for ourselves and what actually happens. -Cathy Guisewite

Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please. -Mark Twain

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. -William James

Every person is a fool in somebody's opinion. -Spanish Proverb

What comes from the heart, goes to the heart. -Author unknown

Love much. Earth has enough of bitter in it.
Cast sweets into its cup whenever you can...
Love on, through darkness;
and believe there is no such thing
which love may not achive.
-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Can miles really separate us from friends?
If we want to be with someone we love,
aren't we already there?
-Richard Bach's Novel-

Everybody laughs in the same language. -unknown

. I've learned you can get by on charm for about 15 mins. After that, you'd better know something.
I've learned you shouldn't compare your self to the best others can do, but to the best you can do.
I've learned it's not what happens to people that's important. It's what they do about it.
I've learned you can do something in an instant that will give you a heartache for life.
I've learned no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides.
I've learned sometimes two is a crowd.
I've learned regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die.
I've learned it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I've learned it's a lot easier to react than it is to think.
I've learned you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I've learned that, along with the eyes and cheeks, tears wash the soul. (Thank you Larry)
I've learned Angels can't lie.... even if they try. (Thanks LF)
I've learned flowers and pricker bushes grow out of the same dirt.
I've learned you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I've learned we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I've learned I can't visit a bookstore or music store without buying something.
I've learned either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I've learned that sometimes I just need to be held.
I've learned learning to forgive takes practice.
I've learned if splashing in puddles means you have to wear wet shoes for the rest of the day, Sometimes it's worth it.
I've learned you can love someone and still not like them very much.
I've learned when I'm given a choice of 31 flavors of ice cream, I still choose vanilla.

I've learned there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it.

I've learned my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I've learned sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I've learned I'm getting more like my mom, and I am happy about it.

I've learned true friendship continues to grow , even over the longest distance.

I've learned not to argue for a later bedtime while wearing jammies with feet.

I've learned a little kiss can make a big difference.

I've learned silence can be an answer.

I've learned just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I've learned no matter how old I am, I want my mom when I'm hurting.

I've learned maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I've learned you should never tell a child his dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if he believed it.

I've learned how is more important than learning what.

I've learned a pencil without an eraser might just as well be a pen.

I've learned I wish I could have told my parents that I love them one more time before they died.

I've learned it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken, the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I've learned poems don't have to rhyme.

I've learned our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I've learned we don't have to change friends if we understand friends change.

I've learned you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I've learned the clothes I like best are the ones with the most holes in them.

I've learned If you can't name it, scrape it off your pizza.

I've learned it's not what you have in your life but whom you have in your life that counts.

I've learned two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I've learned you can learn your lesson, but you don't always remember it.

I've learned a good friend is better than a therapist.

I've learned if your dog doesn't like someone You probably shouldn't either.

I've learned sandwiches cut diagonally taste better.

I've learned there are names that hurt much more than sticks and stones.

I've learned you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I've learned sometimes you have to accept things you don't understand.

I've learned that no matter what the weather channel says, if you wash your car it WILL rain.

I've learned to believe in prayer.

I've learned to expect the unexpected.

I've learned everything looks different through tears.

I've learned the paradigm we live in is not all that is offered to us.

I've learned the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon.

I've learned the path you're on looks different when you turn around.

I've learned if you are in a relationship with someone who doesn't believe in you, you should get out before you stop believing in yourself. (Thank you Crystal)

I've learned no matter how old or how experienced you are, you can always learn something from a child. (Thank you Mariah)

I've learned no matter how beautiful your makeup is, it can't hide the expression of a sad heart.

I've learned wearing a halo can give you a headache after awhile.

I've learned no matter how closely I follow her recipe, my cooking never tastes as good as my mom's.

I've learned you shouldn't leave your fork on your plate when you reheat your food in the microwave.

I've learned no one ever drinks the last drop of anything in a container they would have to wash or refill.

I've learned not eveyone can be silly. Some people just don't know how.

I've learned the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.

I've learned one of the best things I can give a hurting friend is my presence, not my words.

I've learned sometimes a P.S. to a letter contains the most important message of all.

I've learned it is easy to meet interesting people in bookstores.

I've learned sending my parents flowers on MY birthday, made me happy.

I've learned rainy Sundays are great for snuggling, reading, napping, and listening to Classical music. But not neccessarily in that order.

I've learned picking out a Halloween pumpkin is fun at any age.

I've learned in this world, you don't need a multitude of friends. All you need is one who will stand by you through thick and thin.

I've learned you should never change everything in your life at once. Keep something the same just for the stability so that it's easier to remember who you are.

I've learned that nothing beats the taste of a piece of your own homemade fresh bread from the oven, slathered with melted butter. (Oatmeal is a close second)

I've learned opportunities are never lost; Someone will take the one you miss.

I've learned every drop of rain adds to the ocean.

I've learned the fire of a past love will always burn with a small flame. (Thank you Kelley)

I've learned the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned the bad guy doesn't always wear a black hat.

I've learned the end isn't always where it should be.

I've learned people always underestimate my ability, but one thing they should never underestimate is the drive behind my abililty.

I've learned the Lord didn't do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?

I've learned that the dinner rolls bake a lot faster if the oven is turned on.

I've learned I don't have a right to complain about something if I had the power to change it and didn't.

I've learned simple walks with my Dad through the woods on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I've learned sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I've learned My REAL friends aren't the ones I go out with, but the ones who listen to me when I need an ear and the ones I can cry to when I need a shoulder.

I've learned if you can read a book, it can take you to places you haven't been before.

I've learned not all learning can be measured by grades.

I've learned people will eat things at two o'clock in the morning that they wouldn't eat at any other time.

I've learned the art of communication is not what you can hear being said from the other person's mouth, but what you can feel from his heart and see in his eyes.

I've learned sleeping under the sky and seeing shooting stars is something that you never want to miss.

I've learned one of the best ways to find out about a person's character is to play Monopoly with them

I've learned you can't get away with everything, but it's fun to try!

I've learned there are times you just HAVE to stick your feet out the car window.

I've learned no matter how old you are, you always think that there may be something hiding under the bed.

I've learned if you look in a mirror in just the right way, you see your angel's face. (Thank you Kat)

I've learned that no comment is a comment.

I've learned that everything I do teaches me a little bit more about myself. That is something that I find to be true everyday.. ..from the smallest act to the most life changing moment. (Thank you John)

I've learned that belief is the perfect preservative for possibility. (Thank you Larry)

I've learned when to cry. When you feel like it.

I've learned you should always go with first instincts, to listen to your inner self. I've found it is usually right.

I've learned your life can be changed in a matter of minutes by someone you don't even know.

I've learned writing, as well as talking can ease emotional pains.

I've learned each of us is different. I've learned to expect it, respect it, and accept it.

Some of these came from a book called "Live and Learn and Pass It On" By H. Jackson Brown

"Do not ask God the way to heaven; He'll show you the hardest way." ....Stanislaw Lec, Unkept Thoughts, 1962

"You may give children your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow." .... Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923

"Loving is not just caring deeply, it's, above all, understanding." ....Francoise Sagan, Le Soir, April 20,1960

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." .... Theodore M. Hesburg,Reader's Digest, January 1963

"In nature there are neither rewards nor punishment There are consequences." ....Robert Ingersoll, Address, New York, October 29, 1896

"Love can hope where reason would despair." ....Lord Lyttleton

True love does not have a happy ending: True love does not have an ending." .....Unknown

"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them." ....Mark Twain

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." ....Albert Einstein

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." .... Mark Twain

"Real tears are not those that fall from the eyes and cover the face, but those that fall from the heart and cover the soul" ....Author Unknown

We women talk too much, nevertheless we only say half of what we know. ~Nancy Astor~

Tendency to think and act spontaneously, rather than from fears based on past experiences.
An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment
Loss of interest in judging other people
Loss of interest in judging self
Loss of interest in interpreting actions of others
Loss of interest in conflict
Loss of ability to worry
Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation
Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature
Frequent attacks of smiling through the eyes of the heart
Increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen
Increased susceptibility to love extended by others, as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.