“You make the rules in the game of life; you make your own choices. For each situation there are no fewer than three choices. You can take the high road, the middle road or the low road – the easy path, the more difficult path, or the most difficult path. Any of them will get you to your destination. And I would remind you that refusing to make a choice is also a choice. It is often the choice that allows others to exercise their free-will choice over you.”

Rich Work, in “God This is a Good Book”

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Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“You are almost sure to rub some people the wrong way when you make a stand for who you are. But that’s not a good enough reason to stop – it’s all the more reason to continue. As much as people want to hide in the darkness, there is a place in their heart that wants to live in the light. If you confront people with your honest self, they may grumble and protest to your face, but they will go home and think about it. Your seeds of sincerity will find a patch of fertile soil in a barren heart, and given even a little sunlight and moisture, will sprout and grow.

Do not be fooled by appearances. Behind our culture’s obsession with fear and hiding, there is a massive call for authentic self-expression. The most powerful gift of redemption you can offer a world that is sick with deception is to live in the dignity of your own truth.”

Alan Cohen, in “Dare to Be Yourself”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“Life in this physical body is very short, even if we live to be one hundred years old. When I discovered this, I decided not to waste my time creating conflict, mainly with the people I love. I want to enjoy them, and I do that by loving them for who they are, not what they believe. The story they create is not important. I don’t care if my mother’s story doesn’t agree with my story; I love her and I enjoy her presence. I know not to impose my story on her; I don’t impose my story on anybody. I respect her story, I listen to her story, and I don’t make it wrong.

If other people try to write your story, it means they don’t respect you. They don’t respect you because they consider that you are not a good artist, that you cannot write your own story, even though you born to write your own story. Respect comes directly from love; it is one of the greatest expressions of love.”

Don Miguel Ruiz, in “The Voice of Knowledge”

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Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“The people you meet are all here to teach you something. Perhaps the obnoxious driver or disrespectful teenager is here to teach you about patience, the punk rocker may be here to teach you to be less judgmental.

Your job is to try to determine what the people in your life are trying to teach you. You’ll find that if you do this, you’ll be far less annoyed, bothered, and frustrated by the actions and imperfections of other people. You can actually get yourself in the habit of approaching life in this manner and, if you do, you’ll be glad you did. Often, once you discover what someone is trying to teach you, it’s easy to let go of your frustration…..

You may be surprised at how fun and easy this is. All you’re really doing is changing your perception from, “Why are they doing this?” to “What are they trying to teach me?”

Richard Carlson, PH.D., in “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”

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Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

“When we lose someone we love, we should remember that the person has not become nothing. “Something” cannot become “nothing,” and “nothing” cannot become “something.” Science can help us understand this, because matter cannot be destroyed – it can become energy. And energy can become matter, but it cannot be destroyed. In the same way, our beloved was not destroyed; she has just taken on another form. That form may be a cloud, a child or the breeze. We can see our loved one in everything. And smiling, we can say, “Dear one, I know you are there very close to me. I know that your nature is the nature of no birth and no death. I know that I have not lost you; you are always with me.”

If you look deeply at every moment of your daily life, you will see that person. Practicing like this, you will be able to overcome your grief. The same is true with your mother or your father. Their true nature is the nature of not born, not dying, not arriving and not departing. In reality, you have not lost anyone who has died.”

Thich Nhat Hanh, in “No Fear, No Death”

For more information about this book, visit Amazon.

Jeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.