Quotes from Joyce Rupp

People gain so much hope when they know they are not experiencing something alone.

God of peace, you are at the center of my life, a strong refuge of peace in the whirlwind of my pain. I look to you for strength and a constant assurance of hope.

if I wait to be perfect before I love myself I will always be unsatisfied and ungrateful if I wait until all the flaws, chips, and cracks disappear I will be the cup that stands on the shelf and is never used

No matter how much light I carry within me, there will always be times of feeling lost, being confused, seeking direction. It is the way of the human heart.

I heard a wise saying once that has helped me: "Negative feelings are like stray cats. The more you feed them, the more they hang around.

By the light of your stars, heal me.

Wisdom is a unique manifestation of God, a catalyst for transformation of the human person's life into one of fight and goodness.

No matter how hard I fight to stay "in the light," I will have some darkness in my life. This is as sure as the patter of sunrise and sunset in the natural course of the day.

Too many of us consent, or are forced, to spend time doing things for which we have no heartfelt reason. If we were asked, "Why are you doing this?" we would not know how to answer. —Parker Palmer

Life moves so fast that I can easily forget they have happened to me unless I take time to record them.

You do not always have to be producing, creating, harvesting. Learn to be idle. Learn to rest.

Mary Jo Meadows defines compassion as "the quivering of the heart in response to another's suffering" and notes that "compassionate beings . . . cannot bear to see suffering and remain unengaged.

The true essence of humankind is kindness. There are other qualities which come from education or knowledge, but it is essential, if one wishes to be a genuine human being and impart satisfying meaning to one's existence, to have a good heart. —The 14th Dalai Lama

the difference between confusion and 'don't know' is that confusion can only see one way out and that way is blocked, while 'don't know' is open to miracles and insights.

They say in old stories that you can't discover new lands without losing sight of the shore for a long time. —Laurie Gough

Renew My Strength God of Strength, who calls forth eagles to bend wings in adoration, who sends forth eagles to wing wide in praise, I am in need of your strength. Carry me on your loving wings. Renew my strength. Give me the energy for the going and create in me an openness to future flying. Great God of eagles' hearts, I want to trust that you will bear me up, that you will support me. I look to you to renew my strength just as surely as eagles' wings are wide in the sky.

The Ache of Autumn in Us There is a season for everything, a time for giving birth, a time for dying; a time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing. . . . —Ecclesiastes 3:1,2,4 The trees grow more restless; October wind weaves through them; they shake their arms in dismay as if to fight the coming cold and the grief of leaves going. Autumn air does a heart-dance on branches already gone barren; the misty air clings to golden leaves

Keep a Strong Network of Prayer Guardian of my soul, guide me on my way today. Keep me safe from harm. Deepen my relationship with you, your Earth, and all your family. Strengthen your love within me that I may be a presence of your peace in our world. Amen

Thich Nhat Hanh said: "I am not running anymore; I have run all my life; now I am determined to stop and really live my life.

Hope is not just one single quality or promise. Hope has to do with believing beyond today— knowing there's a garden of beauty that awaits me.