Recharge Your Soul with Beautiful Words

Happy Valentine’s Day!  On this day when we celebrate Love, and all things related to Love, let us elevate words that mean something.  Let us celebrate those words that jar and invigorate us.  Let us push aside our offhand texting for just a minute and read some wonderful words.

Words are powerful.  Words can be sacred, and they can be harsh.  They may be superfluous or scarce.  Words inspire, degrade, raise, reject, comfort, or discourage.  Whatever their impact, I think many people can agree that we expect words to mean something.  One of the most disturbing things is a deceptive or insincere word.  Let us therefore laud beautiful, meaningful words such as these written with the purpose of awakening our souls:

Be not like dumb, driven cattle!

Be a hero in the strife!

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In my last post, I praised the written word of Jane Austen and all that she taught me. Today I’m presenting lovely poems here that you may be familiar with by three famous women.  I hope they inspire you.  Enjoy! 

Emily Dickinson 

If I can stop one heart from breaking,

I shall not live in vain;

If I can ease one life the aching,

Or cool one pain,

Or help one fainting robin

Unto his nest again,

I shall not live in vain.

Christina Rossetti 

What are heavy?  Sea-sand and sorrow;

What are brief?  Today and tomorrow;

What are frail?  Spring blossoms and youth;

What are deep?  The ocean and truth.

Love Anyway

-from a prayer on the wall in Mother Teresa’s home for children in Calcutta, adapted from Dr. Kent Keith’s “Paradoxical Commandments”

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are honest and sincere,
people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating,
others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today
will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have,
and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.