Words of Wisdom January 5 to 8

Theme- Kindness: Helping Others / Helping Ourselves

Select one of the quotes from the words of wisdom this week, copy and paste the quote in the response, and then write at least two thoughtful sentences in response. You are welcome to either agree or disagree with the statement. References to your own experiences are welcome.

“Charity is never lost . . . it ever does a work of beauty and grace upon the heart of the giver.” (Thomas Middleton)

“The person who gives is a person who has”. (Lithuanian Proverb)

“I expect to pass through life but once. If there is any kindness I can show, or any good I can do, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again.” (William Penn)

Words of Wisdom December 7-11

“To love all men is the greatest benevolence.” (Confucius)

“The foundation of non-violence is love.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)

“ . . . I believe that we are all teachers. We teach with every act we perform, during each waking moment of life.” (Leo Buscaglia)

Words of Wisdom Nov 30 – Dec 4

what you think of yourself

“Think of these things: whence you came, where you are going and to whom you must account.” (Benjamin Franklin)

“What you think of yourself is much more important than what others think of you” (Seneca)

“Anger is a signal, and one worth listening to.” (Harriet Lerner)

Words of Wisdom November 16-20

“No man has ever been born a . . . hater. Nature refuses to be involved in such practices.” (Harry Bridger)

“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” (The Dalai Lama)

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” (Mother Teresa)

Words of Wisdom November 9-13

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” (Spanish Proverb)

“You grow up the day you have your first real laugh – at yourself.” (Ethel Barrymore)

“A merry heart does good, like medicine.” (Hebrew Proverb)

Words of Wisdom November 2-6

“The test of a nation is the way it cares for its helpless members.” (Pearl S. Buck)

“I leave you love. I leave you a thirst for education. I leave you faith. I leave you also a desire to live harmoniously with your fellow men.” (Mary McCleod Bethune)

“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small, daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences . . ..” (Marian Wright Edelman)

School lunch photos

Words of Wisdom October 26-30

“Put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.” (Eleanor Roosevelt)

“The mere resolve not to be useless and the honest desire to help other people will, in the quickest ways, improve yourself.” (John Ruskin)

“In Africa, people learn to serve each other. They live on credit balances of little favors that they give and may, one day, ask to have returned.” (Beryl Markham)

Words of Wisdom October 19-23

“Commit yourself to a dream . . . . Nobody who tries to do something great but fails is a total failure.” (Robert Schuller)

“Stay away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but rally great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” (Mark Twain)

“Let me tell you the secret that led to my goals. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.” (Louis Pasteur)

My Grandfather (SBC3)

An old, old man in a nursing home is how I remember my grandfather. He would make “snakes” with me out of straw wrappers. This was noteworthy because my mom would never allow me to do that in restaurants. But, through family photos and stories, I know so much more about the man he was before the nursing home.

Born in Nova Scotia on the east coast of Canada, he moved away from town after high school. Heading west, he lived in Chicago with his wife and became a priest. After her death, he remarried and moved to Washington State. There they had three children and he was the priest of a neighborhood Congregational church. When the children had moved out of the house, his wife passed away.

Once again he married, and they had my mother. When my mom was two years old, her mother died of Rocky Mountain Spotted fever. For a fourth and final time, he remarried.

There are family photos of times we were together, before the nursing home. He was so tall and I was so tiny. My grandfather was the priest who baptized me as a child.

When I was in 8th grade, my grandfather passed away. At his funeral, the church was overflowing with people who had been touched by his preaching.

The little New Testiment he kept in his pocket is one of my most treasured possessions. It has his own notes in it, showing which passages were particularly meaningful to him.

Falcons Tech

From the Hearts and Minds of Excelsior Students

Author: Mrs. Colbert