DESIDERATA (Latin for 'Things to Desire')<P>Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. <P>As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. <P>Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. <P>Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. <P>If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. <BR> <P>Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. <P>Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. <P>Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. <P>Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. <P>Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass. <P>Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.<P>Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. <P>Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. <P>Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. <P>And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.<P>Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. <P>And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. <P>With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. <P>Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.<P>-Max Ehrmann<BR>

oNE OF MY FAVORITES<P>My favorite:<P>IF<P>If you can keep your head when all about you<BR>Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,<BR>If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you<BR>But make allowance for their doubting too,<BR>If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,<BR>Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,<BR>Or being hated, don't give way to hating,<BR>And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise: <BR>If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,<BR>If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;<BR>If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster<BR>And treat those two impostors just the same;<BR>If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken<BR>Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,<BR>Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,<BR>And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools: <BR>If you can make one heap of all your winnings<BR>And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,<BR>And lose, and start again at your beginnings<BR>And never breath a word about your loss;<BR>If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew<BR>To serve your turn long after they are gone,<BR>And so hold on when is nothing in you<BR>Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!" <BR>If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,<BR>Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,<BR>If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;<BR>If all men count with you, but none too much,<BR>If you can fill the unforgiving minute<BR>With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,<BR>Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,<BR>And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! <BR>Rudyard Kipling <P><BR><P>------------------<BR>BB<BR>

Refuse to be discouraged,<BR>Refuse to be distressed,<BR>For when we are despondent <BR>Our lives cannot be blessed-<BR>For doubt and fear and worry<BR>Close the door to faith and prayer,<BR>For there's no room for bessings<BR>When we're lost in deep despair-<BR>So remember when your troubled<BR>With uncertainty and doubt<BR>It is best to tell Our Father<BR>What our fear is all about-<BR>For unless we seek His guidance<BR>When troubled times arise<BR>We are biound to make decisions <BR>That are twisted and unwise-<BR>But when we view our problems<BR>Through the eyes of God above,<BR>Misfortunes turn to blessings<BR>And hatred turns to love.<P>Helen Steiner Rice<P>[This message has been edited by Patient Love (edited February 12, 2000).]<p>[This message has been edited by Patient Love (edited February 12, 2000).]