Britta Steffen (GER) became the third woman after Kristin Otto (GDR) and Inge de Bruijn (NED) to win the sprint freestyle doube when she kept 41-year-old supermom Dara Torres (USA) at bay by 0.01sec in 24.06, an Olympic record. On the last day of race action at the Water Cube, Cate Campbell took bronze in 24.17, locking teammate and world record holder Libby Trickett out of the medals.
The world's sprint queen is German once more, and Steffen's victory ensured that every women's freestyle crown at these Games went to a European, Federica Pellegrini (ITA) and Rebecca Adlington (GBR) doing their formidable bit.
Steffen's is a rags-to-riches story. In 1988, as the winds of political change blew through the cracks in the Berlin Wall, the young Britta was busy dipping her toe into the baby pool for the first time in Schwedt, an industrial workers' town dominated by the PCK chemical plant near Frankfurt Oder on the border with Poland.
Her first swim teacher at the SSV PCK90 club, Gunter Hinze, now 60, remembers "a small and dainty girl". He told a magazine in Saxony recently: "She was standing, very excited, on the edge of the pool and wanted to go into the water. She didn't have a costume with her so I gave her one but it was far too big and we had to tie it back with strings. Britta didn't care, she just wanted to learn how to swim. She was very independent. I taught her to swim within four weeks."
Within a couple of years she had moved up to coach Catrin Marschalek's squad. "Britta was very ambitious," the 43-year-old coach recalled. "She was small and always considered herself to be at a disadvantage but her gliding in water was superb, she had a lot of stamina and that's why I recommended her for a place at the sports school in Potsdam."
Skip through the years of development and arrive in Moscow for the European junior championships in 1999: Steffen won six gold medals, taking the 50, 100 and 200m freestyle crowns (26.08; 55.66 and 2:01.32) and all three relays with her Germany teammates). A star was, well, almost born.
Steffen won three senior bronze medals at the German national championships in 2000 and earned herself a relay berth at the Sydney Olympic Games, where Germany swam below expectations. Her return home coincided with the physical changes that every girl goes through, a time in life when confidence can so easily be dented.
In the midst of her first dip in form, Steffen changed coach in 2002, travelling to Berlin to train under the guidance of Norbert Warnatzsch and alongside Franziska Van Almsick, star recruit at the SG Neukoelln club. By 2004, the pretender was enduring up to seven and more hours training a day, getting through the work by reminding herself that other world-class swimmers, such as Alexander Popov (the Robbie Williams of swimming, she is said to have once called the great Russian), succeeded through tough regimes. She earned another Olympic relay berth in Athens but that fell well shy of Steffen's dreams and the talent so many had told her she had. The upshot: she headed for the door.
Her old coach, Marschalek, suggested that Steffen's problem was that she "could not handle the pressure". However, there was a deeper problem: the swimmer had developed an eating disorder, bad enough for anyone, lethal for an athlete. Warnatzsch kept a cool head, told Steffen that he saw in her the same qualities and talent that many had seen in Van Almsick and urged her not to quit. He urged her not to take time out but to swim through but Steffen insisted on a break. In an interview with Christof Gertsch, of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung in Switzerland, Steffen said that the coach had "wanted me to stay in the training and not to take a break" and was most unhappy when she decided to take time away from the pool.
Steffen did take another piece of advice from her coach, however. During her break, she consulted psychologist Dr Frederike Janofske. Van Almsick had put her return to world-record-breaking times over 200m in 2002 in part down to working with Janofske. He helped Steffen to view her life and herself in a different, more positive, way and gave her a plan of action to turn herself around.
Steffen agreed to the plan. She emerged from a fallow year healthier in heart and head, thanks to what Hanson alluded to: having good people around her. In late summer 2005 she returned to full-time training but approached the whole exercise with a different frame of mind. "I was enjoying it at last," she said, describing coach Warnatsch as being "like a father to me".
"The psychologist really helped to turn me round," she adds. "When I swam badly before I used to think somehow I was a bad person. Now I know how to differentiate between my swimming life and my personal life." The two worlds do collide, of course, not least because her boyfriend is German swimmer Oliver Wenzel, 25, who played a key role in helping Steffen turn herself around and view her swimming through positive, not fearful, eyes.
As Marchalek put it: "When she had her head free she was able to motivate herself incredibly. The year's break, psychological training and her boyfriend have done her a lot of good."
An understatement as it turned out: Steffen broke the world record in the 100m free at the 2006 European Championships in Budapest, won thed 50m crown and helped the German freestyle quartets break the 4x100m and 4x200m world records. Of her 53.30sec world record over 100m freestyle, Orjan Madsen, Germany's new head coach at the time, said: "It was a sensational swim. She is an absolute super-talent and this is just the start of her career.
If the first 50m, at 25.84, was slower than Inge de Bruijn's split on the way to the then 53.77 world record in 2000, the second 50 was a display of control and assertiveness. Two years on in Beijing, she would take the 100m by turning in 7th - almost a second down on the Australian with whom she traded blows in the wake of Budapest: Libby Lenton, later Trickett - before rocketing through the ranks on the way to the gold medal.
The "D" word was raised the moment she stopped the clock in Budapest. The reactions of both Steffen and Madsen went along way to calming what could have been an unworthy storm. "We (Germany) have a bad history of doping. The only solution is to declare why our swimmers are as fast as they are. That's just the way it is. We have to check blood, we have to make ourselves available, and will do at the start and end of each altitude camp." said Madsen, announcing plans for a blood-passport system that has potential for adoption on the international stage. That system has since been threatened by lack of funding, though the DSV, the German federation, remains, in word at least, comitted to supporting Madsen's plan.
For her part, Steffen has been working with Wilhelm Schanzer, a leading drugs researcher. "I want to create my own anti-doping file in which I publish my tests," explained Steffen. "The implications (in questions put to her in Budapest) hurt me."
Not too much to get in the way of double gold in Beijing. Celebrations involved a fair few hugs with Franziska van Almsick, former queen of German swimming. The two swimmers are different in many respects but the thing they have in common is the feet-on-the-ground principals instilled in them as East German children of working-class parents. Many a tale has been told of Van Almsick's aloofness yet meet her one-on-one and she is as delightful as she is down-to-earth.
The same could be said of Steffen. She lives in a 12m sq student bedsit in Berlin and receives 400 euros or so a month support from her club. Not be wasted on a flash new car, rather they will go to help her parents out. Like a fifth of Germans in the former east, Steffen's mother, Ingrid, a former shop assistant now 52, and father, Edgar Hutschenreiter, a former electrician now 57, are both unemployed. Such circumstance can breed hunger in those who have a mind to channel disadvantage and rise above it.
Raised in a high rise with brothers Sven, now 29 and a papermaker, and Maik, 19 and a chemical engineer, Steffen holds family dear. Her siblings' names are engraved on the ring they gave her, one she wears with pride. "She's very down to earth and modest. Success will not go to her head," said coach Marchalek.
Asked in 2006 if she could imagine one day writing the autobiography of her fairytale, she replied: "No, I'd just like to continue my life as it is now. I don't worry about money. I've agreed with my body that I'll train intensively for another two years and then we'll see. I'm satisfied with my whole life right now. I've found an inner quiet."
It proved to be the calm before the Beijing storm.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Be the best of whatever you are
by Douglas Malloch
If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley---but be
The best little scrub by the side of the hill;
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass---but be
The happiest grass by the road.
If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass---
But the liveliest bass in the lake!
We can't all be captains,we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here ,
There's big work to do,and there's lesser to do,
And the task you must do is the near.
If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun be a star;
It isn't by size that you win or you fail---
Be the best of whatever you are!
中文:
做最好的自己
道格拉斯.麦洛克
如果你当不成山巅的一棵劲松,
就做山谷里的小树吧---但务必
做溪流边最棒的一棵小树;
当不了树就做一丛灌木,
当不成灌木还可以做小草---但务必
做路边最快乐的一株小草.
如果你不是大梭鱼就做一尾鲈鱼吧,
但要做湖里最活泼的小鲈鱼!
我们不能都做船长,必须有人当船员,
可每个人都有自己的事儿,
有的事情大,有的事情小,
而你要完成的任务就 近在咫尺.
如果你不能做大道就做一条小径,
若是不能做太阳就做星星;
决定成败的不是你的大小---
只要你做最好的自己!
If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a scrub in the valley---but be
The best little scrub by the side of the hill;
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass---but be
The happiest grass by the road.
If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass---
But the liveliest bass in the lake!
We can't all be captains,we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here ,
There's big work to do,and there's lesser to do,
And the task you must do is the near.
If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun be a star;
It isn't by size that you win or you fail---
Be the best of whatever you are!
中文:
做最好的自己
道格拉斯.麦洛克
如果你当不成山巅的一棵劲松,
就做山谷里的小树吧---但务必
做溪流边最棒的一棵小树;
当不了树就做一丛灌木,
当不成灌木还可以做小草---但务必
做路边最快乐的一株小草.
如果你不是大梭鱼就做一尾鲈鱼吧,
但要做湖里最活泼的小鲈鱼!
我们不能都做船长,必须有人当船员,
可每个人都有自己的事儿,
有的事情大,有的事情小,
而你要完成的任务就 近在咫尺.
如果你不能做大道就做一条小径,
若是不能做太阳就做星星;
决定成败的不是你的大小---
只要你做最好的自己!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
My Journey to Find Comfort in the Cold 冬季里的夏天
By Diane Cameron
I wake in the night and listen. The reassuring rumble tells me that the furnace is still on. It's good news and bad. It means we have heat and there's still oil, but it might just as well be dollar bills that I'm burning.
I don't fall back to sleep easily. My fear of cold has an ancient echo. I listen for the furnace at night the way my Polish ancestors woke in their huts to check on the fire. We're told that global warming is a threat, but it's a danger I'd settle for on days like this.
In many wedding albums, there is a picture of the groom carrying the bride over the threshold. That odd custom is also about staying warm. In ancient times, when a woman left her father's home and was set down on the hearth in her new house she was in the most important spot in any ancient home. She literally kept the home fires burning.
Temperature is part of my own married romance. Coming to New York from Baltimore – where there is just one decent snowstorm each year – I, too, was set down on a new hearth.
My husband, Peter, comes from northern Ontario, where winter runs from September to May and wind chill is scoffed at. "When Canadians have 30 below, they mean it," he says. "Wind chill is for wimps."
So to marry this tundra man I had to learn to dress for serious cold. To get me from Baltimore's Inner Harbor to Albany's frozen Hudson, Peter plied me with jackets and sweaters, scarves and gloves, even a hat with earflaps. The gift of Sorel boots – toasty at Canada's 30 below, was a sign we were getting serious.
That first winter together, living in upstate New York, I thought I'd die. My boots were good below freezing, but my fingers could barely tie them. Physical acclimation is real, but it came slowly. Each year gets a bit easier. Now I complain about the cold, but no longer imagine myself as part of the Donner party.
But there is also emotional acclimation to cold. A quote of French author Albert Camus is taped inside the cabinet where I get my coffee mug each morning. It says: "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." Some days that tells me that I have enough beach memories to cling to on freezing days and other days it is the word "invincible" that reminds me that living cold does indeed build character.
But having a warm house is important. I can't swear that my first marriage ended solely over the thermostat setting, but for years I never went on a second date with a man whose response to my "I'm cold," was, "Put on a sweater." Now I'm married to a man who knows that cold hands do not mean a warm heart, and that a big oil bill is better than roses. But surprisingly, I've grown, too. I am willing, in this new life and climate, to go look for that cost-saving sweater.
The word comfortable did not originally refer to being contented. Its Latin root, confortare, means to strengthen. Hence its use in theology: The Holy Spirit is Comforter; not to make us comfy, but to make us strong. This then is our task. We may not be warm but we are indeed comforted; we are strong and we are looking for the sweaters.
I wake in the night and listen. The reassuring rumble tells me that the furnace is still on. It's good news and bad. It means we have heat and there's still oil, but it might just as well be dollar bills that I'm burning.
I don't fall back to sleep easily. My fear of cold has an ancient echo. I listen for the furnace at night the way my Polish ancestors woke in their huts to check on the fire. We're told that global warming is a threat, but it's a danger I'd settle for on days like this.
In many wedding albums, there is a picture of the groom carrying the bride over the threshold. That odd custom is also about staying warm. In ancient times, when a woman left her father's home and was set down on the hearth in her new house she was in the most important spot in any ancient home. She literally kept the home fires burning.
Temperature is part of my own married romance. Coming to New York from Baltimore – where there is just one decent snowstorm each year – I, too, was set down on a new hearth.
My husband, Peter, comes from northern Ontario, where winter runs from September to May and wind chill is scoffed at. "When Canadians have 30 below, they mean it," he says. "Wind chill is for wimps."
So to marry this tundra man I had to learn to dress for serious cold. To get me from Baltimore's Inner Harbor to Albany's frozen Hudson, Peter plied me with jackets and sweaters, scarves and gloves, even a hat with earflaps. The gift of Sorel boots – toasty at Canada's 30 below, was a sign we were getting serious.
That first winter together, living in upstate New York, I thought I'd die. My boots were good below freezing, but my fingers could barely tie them. Physical acclimation is real, but it came slowly. Each year gets a bit easier. Now I complain about the cold, but no longer imagine myself as part of the Donner party.
But there is also emotional acclimation to cold. A quote of French author Albert Camus is taped inside the cabinet where I get my coffee mug each morning. It says: "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." Some days that tells me that I have enough beach memories to cling to on freezing days and other days it is the word "invincible" that reminds me that living cold does indeed build character.
But having a warm house is important. I can't swear that my first marriage ended solely over the thermostat setting, but for years I never went on a second date with a man whose response to my "I'm cold," was, "Put on a sweater." Now I'm married to a man who knows that cold hands do not mean a warm heart, and that a big oil bill is better than roses. But surprisingly, I've grown, too. I am willing, in this new life and climate, to go look for that cost-saving sweater.
The word comfortable did not originally refer to being contented. Its Latin root, confortare, means to strengthen. Hence its use in theology: The Holy Spirit is Comforter; not to make us comfy, but to make us strong. This then is our task. We may not be warm but we are indeed comforted; we are strong and we are looking for the sweaters.
Story of Life 生命的故事
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away they were meant to be there , to serve some sort of purpose ,teach you a lesson,or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.You never know who these people maybe (possibly your roommate , neighbor , coworker , long lost friend , lover , or even a complete stranger),but when you lock eyes with them,you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way .
有时候，一些人进入你的生命，你马上知道他们是注定要出现的，他们的到来是为了达成某种目的，给你提供教益，帮助你认清自己以及自己想要成为怎样的人，你不会知道这些人是谁（很可能会是你的室友、邻居、同事、失散多年的朋友、爱人，甚至是素未谋面的陌生人），可是当你的目光锁定他们的那一刻，你就知道他们会给你的生命带来深远的影响。
And sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible , painful. and unfair at first , but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential , strength , willpower , or heart.
有时候，发生在你身上的事情看似可怕、痛苦和不公平，但仔细一想，你就会发现，如果不克服这些障碍，你就不会意识到自己的潜能、力量、意志和决心。
Everything happens for a reason.
Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck.
Illness , injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be ,life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet who affect your life ,and the success and downfalls you experience , help to create who you are and who you become.
任何事的发生都是有原因的。
没有事情是偶然出现或运气使然。
疾病、伤痛、爱情、与成功失之交臂，以及彻彻底底的糊涂犯错，这些都是你对精神极限的考验。无论这些小小的考验是什么，没有了它们，生命就像是一条不知通往何处的平坦大道，纵然安全舒适，但却了然无趣、毫无意义。
你所遇到的影响你生命的人，你所经历的成功与失败，都有助于塑造和成就你的人生。
Even the bad experiences can be learned from.
In fact ,they are probably the most poignant and important ones.
If someone hurts you , betrays you ,or breaks your heart,forgive them,for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious when you open your heart.
If someone loves you ,love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you ,but because in a way , they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.
即使是不好的经历，也能从中吸取经验。
事实上，这些经验可能是最深刻和最重要的。
如果有人伤害了你，背叛了你，或伤了你的心，原谅他们把，因为他们帮助你理解了信任，让你懂得了在敞开心扉时保持精神是很重要的。
如果有人爱你，你要无条件地爱他们，不仅因为他们爱你，还因为他们教会了你去爱，以及如何敞开你的心扉、放开你的目光。
Make every day count.
Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again.
Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually listen.
Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high.
Hold your head up because you have every right to.
Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don`t believe in yourself , it will be hard for others to believe in you .
You can make of your life anything you wish.
Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.
让每一天都过的有价值。
珍惜生命中的每一刻，并尽你所能地从中取得收获，因为你不会有从头再来的可能。
跟那些你从来没有说过话的人交谈，并注意聆听。
让自己去爱，挣脱束缚，让目光高远。
要昂起头，因为你有权利这么做。
告诉自己，你是一个伟大的人，并相信自己，因为如果你不相信自己，别人就很难相信你。
你可以做任何想做的事来塑造你的人生。
创造你自己的人生，并无怨无悔地去过这一生吧。
Most impotantly,if you LOVE someone, tell him or her ,for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.
And learn a lesson in life each day that you live.
最重要的是，如果你爱某个人，就告诉他/她。因为你不知道明天将会怎样。
活着的每一天里都要有所收获。
That`s The Story Of Life.
这就是生命的故事。
有时候，一些人进入你的生命，你马上知道他们是注定要出现的，他们的到来是为了达成某种目的，给你提供教益，帮助你认清自己以及自己想要成为怎样的人，你不会知道这些人是谁（很可能会是你的室友、邻居、同事、失散多年的朋友、爱人，甚至是素未谋面的陌生人），可是当你的目光锁定他们的那一刻，你就知道他们会给你的生命带来深远的影响。
And sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible , painful. and unfair at first , but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential , strength , willpower , or heart.
有时候，发生在你身上的事情看似可怕、痛苦和不公平，但仔细一想，你就会发现，如果不克服这些障碍，你就不会意识到自己的潜能、力量、意志和决心。
Everything happens for a reason.
Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck.
Illness , injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be ,life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet who affect your life ,and the success and downfalls you experience , help to create who you are and who you become.
任何事的发生都是有原因的。
没有事情是偶然出现或运气使然。
疾病、伤痛、爱情、与成功失之交臂，以及彻彻底底的糊涂犯错，这些都是你对精神极限的考验。无论这些小小的考验是什么，没有了它们，生命就像是一条不知通往何处的平坦大道，纵然安全舒适，但却了然无趣、毫无意义。
你所遇到的影响你生命的人，你所经历的成功与失败，都有助于塑造和成就你的人生。
Even the bad experiences can be learned from.
In fact ,they are probably the most poignant and important ones.
If someone hurts you , betrays you ,or breaks your heart,forgive them,for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious when you open your heart.
If someone loves you ,love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you ,but because in a way , they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.
即使是不好的经历，也能从中吸取经验。
事实上，这些经验可能是最深刻和最重要的。
如果有人伤害了你，背叛了你，或伤了你的心，原谅他们把，因为他们帮助你理解了信任，让你懂得了在敞开心扉时保持精神是很重要的。
如果有人爱你，你要无条件地爱他们，不仅因为他们爱你，还因为他们教会了你去爱，以及如何敞开你的心扉、放开你的目光。
Make every day count.
Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again.
Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually listen.
Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high.
Hold your head up because you have every right to.
Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don`t believe in yourself , it will be hard for others to believe in you .
You can make of your life anything you wish.
Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets.
让每一天都过的有价值。
珍惜生命中的每一刻，并尽你所能地从中取得收获，因为你不会有从头再来的可能。
跟那些你从来没有说过话的人交谈，并注意聆听。
让自己去爱，挣脱束缚，让目光高远。
要昂起头，因为你有权利这么做。
告诉自己，你是一个伟大的人，并相信自己，因为如果你不相信自己，别人就很难相信你。
你可以做任何想做的事来塑造你的人生。
创造你自己的人生，并无怨无悔地去过这一生吧。
Most impotantly,if you LOVE someone, tell him or her ,for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.
And learn a lesson in life each day that you live.
最重要的是，如果你爱某个人，就告诉他/她。因为你不知道明天将会怎样。
活着的每一天里都要有所收获。
That`s The Story Of Life.
这就是生命的故事。
在思考中成长 Growth That Starts From Thinking
It seems to me a very difficult thing to put into words the beliefs we hold and what they make you do in your life. I think I was fortunate because I grew up in a family where there was a very deep religious feeling. I don’t think it was spoken of a great deal. It was more or less taken for granted that everybody held certain beliefs and needed certain reinforcements of their own strength and that that came through your belief in God and your knowledge of prayer.
我的信念是什么，它在我的人生中起到了什么作用------这些问题我觉得很难用言语解释清楚。我认为自己很幸运，因为我出生在一个笃信宗教的家庭。家里人对宗教谈论得并不多。每个人心中或多或少都有某些信仰，都希望通过某种方式获得力量，而这力量就来自信奉上帝并懂得如何祈祷。
But as I grew older I questioned a great many of the things that I knew very well my grandmother who had brought me up had taken for granted. And I think I might have been a quite difficult person to live with if it hadn’t been for the fact that my husband once said it didn’t do you any harm to learn those things, so why not let your children learn them? When they grow up they’ll think things out for themselves.
我是在祖母身边长大的。随着年龄的增长，我对许多祖母视作理所当然的事产生了怀疑。我甚至拒绝让孩子们接触这些东西，似乎成了一个不近情理的人。直到有一次我丈夫劝我，这些东西你年少时也接触过，对你也并无坏处。既然如此，何不让孩子们也有了解它们的机会呢？他们长大以后会独立思考这些问题的。
And that gave me a feeling that perhaps that’s what we all must do—think out for ourselves what we could believe and how we could live by it. And so I came to the conclusion that you had to use this life to develop the very best that you could develop.
他的话使我感到或许我们每个人都应该这样做------独立思考自己应该信仰什么以及如何在生活中坚守自己的的信仰。我认为人一生就应该尽全力做最好的自己------我想这就是我的信仰。
I don’t know whether I believe in a future life. I believe that all that you go through here must have some value, therefore there must be some reason. And there must be some “going on.” How exactly that happens I’ve never been able to decide. There is a future—that I’m sure of. But how, that I don’t know. And I came to feel that it didn’t really matter very much because whatever the future held you’d have to face it when you came to it, just as whatever life holds you have to face it exactly the same way. And the important thing was that you never let down doing the best that you were able to do—it might be poor because you might not have very much within you to give, or to help other people with, or to live your life with. But as long as you did the very best that you were able to do, then that was what you were put here to do and that was what you were accomplishing by being here.
我不知道自己是否相信未来。我相信的是我们现在经历的一切一定有价值，因此必有某些道理，也必然预示着有些事情“将要发生”。但这些事情如何发生，我却不能决定。一定有未来------对此我深信不疑。但它会怎样降临。我不知道，然而着一点，我渐渐感到并不重要。因为无论未来如何，我们到时候总得面对，正如无论生活中发生了什么，我们都必须面对一样。真正重要的是要倾尽自己的全力。也许你能力有限、贡献不多，无法给予他人更多的帮助，或者无法活得那么精彩，但只要你能倾尽自己的全力，你就能完成来到人世间的使命，能体现人生的价值。
And so I have tried to follow that out—and not to worry about the future or what was going to happen. I think I am pretty much of a fatalist. You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.
这就是我一直奉行的生活原则------不担心未来的事，也不为下一刻发生的事操心。我想我算是一个相信宿命的人吧。无论发生什么，我们都得勇敢面对，关键是面对的时候我们要勇敢，要倾尽自己的全力。
我的信念是什么，它在我的人生中起到了什么作用------这些问题我觉得很难用言语解释清楚。我认为自己很幸运，因为我出生在一个笃信宗教的家庭。家里人对宗教谈论得并不多。每个人心中或多或少都有某些信仰，都希望通过某种方式获得力量，而这力量就来自信奉上帝并懂得如何祈祷。
But as I grew older I questioned a great many of the things that I knew very well my grandmother who had brought me up had taken for granted. And I think I might have been a quite difficult person to live with if it hadn’t been for the fact that my husband once said it didn’t do you any harm to learn those things, so why not let your children learn them? When they grow up they’ll think things out for themselves.
我是在祖母身边长大的。随着年龄的增长，我对许多祖母视作理所当然的事产生了怀疑。我甚至拒绝让孩子们接触这些东西，似乎成了一个不近情理的人。直到有一次我丈夫劝我，这些东西你年少时也接触过，对你也并无坏处。既然如此，何不让孩子们也有了解它们的机会呢？他们长大以后会独立思考这些问题的。
And that gave me a feeling that perhaps that’s what we all must do—think out for ourselves what we could believe and how we could live by it. And so I came to the conclusion that you had to use this life to develop the very best that you could develop.
他的话使我感到或许我们每个人都应该这样做------独立思考自己应该信仰什么以及如何在生活中坚守自己的的信仰。我认为人一生就应该尽全力做最好的自己------我想这就是我的信仰。
I don’t know whether I believe in a future life. I believe that all that you go through here must have some value, therefore there must be some reason. And there must be some “going on.” How exactly that happens I’ve never been able to decide. There is a future—that I’m sure of. But how, that I don’t know. And I came to feel that it didn’t really matter very much because whatever the future held you’d have to face it when you came to it, just as whatever life holds you have to face it exactly the same way. And the important thing was that you never let down doing the best that you were able to do—it might be poor because you might not have very much within you to give, or to help other people with, or to live your life with. But as long as you did the very best that you were able to do, then that was what you were put here to do and that was what you were accomplishing by being here.
我不知道自己是否相信未来。我相信的是我们现在经历的一切一定有价值，因此必有某些道理，也必然预示着有些事情“将要发生”。但这些事情如何发生，我却不能决定。一定有未来------对此我深信不疑。但它会怎样降临。我不知道，然而着一点，我渐渐感到并不重要。因为无论未来如何，我们到时候总得面对，正如无论生活中发生了什么，我们都必须面对一样。真正重要的是要倾尽自己的全力。也许你能力有限、贡献不多，无法给予他人更多的帮助，或者无法活得那么精彩，但只要你能倾尽自己的全力，你就能完成来到人世间的使命，能体现人生的价值。
And so I have tried to follow that out—and not to worry about the future or what was going to happen. I think I am pretty much of a fatalist. You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.
这就是我一直奉行的生活原则------不担心未来的事，也不为下一刻发生的事操心。我想我算是一个相信宿命的人吧。无论发生什么，我们都得勇敢面对，关键是面对的时候我们要勇敢，要倾尽自己的全力。
永不放弃 Never Give up Believing in Yourself
By Jack Canfield
Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded.
Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer.
Colonel Sanders had the construction of a new road put him out of business in 1967. He went to over 1,000 places trying to sell his chicken recipe before he found a buyer interested in his 11 herbs and spices. Seven years later, at the age of 75, Colonel Sanders sold his fried chicken company for a finger-licking $15 million!
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. Disney also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.
Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution, gave up a medical career and was told by his father, “You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat catching.” In his autobiography , Darwin wrote, “I was considered by my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard in intellect.
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn’t read until he was seven. His teacher described him as “mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams.” He was refused admittance to Zurich Polytechnic School. The University of Bern turned down his Ph.D. dissertation as being irrelevant and fanciful.
The movie Star Wars was rejected by every movie studio in Hollywood before 20th-Century Fox finally produced it. It went on to be one of the largest grossing movies in film history. Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15 out of 22 in chemistry.
When General Douglas MacArthur applied for admission to West Point, he was turned down, not once but twice. But he tried a third time, was accepted and marched into the history books.
After Fred Astaire’s first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, said, “Can’t act! Slightly bald! Can dance a little!” Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home.
The father of the sculptor Rodin said, “I have an idiot for a son.” Described as the worst pupil in the school, Rodin failed three times to secure admittance to the school of art. His uncle called him uneducable.
Babe Ruth, considered by sports historians to be the greatest athlete of all time and famous for setting the home run record, also holds the record for strikeouts.
Eighteen publishers turned down Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, before Macmillan finally published it in 1970. By 1975 it had sold more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone.
Margaret Mitchell’s classic Gone with the Wind was turned down by more than twenty-five publishers.
In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere… son. You ought to go back to driving a truck.” Elvis Presley went on to become the most popular singer in America.
Never give up believing in yourself!
1 Henry Ford: 亨利?福特（1863—1947），1903年创建福特汽车公司，享有“汽车大王”的美誉。
2 Beethoven: 贝多芬（1770—1827）, 德国最伟大的作曲家之一。
3 Colonel Sanders: 桑德斯上校，1939年桑德斯研发出一套由11种香料组合而成的独家炸鸡配方，1952年他在美国的肯塔基州创建了肯德基炸鸡餐厅，后发展为全球连锁的快餐厅。have a construction of a new road: 在这里是比喻用法，指掌握了一种新方法；out of business: 破产的，失业的。
4 figer-licking: 让人垂涎三尺的，作者借用了肯德基著名的广告语“It’s figer-licking good!（好吃到你吃完要舔手指头）”中的finger-licking，衍生出了这个意思。
5 Walt Disney: 沃尔特?迪斯尼（1901—1966），创造了米老鼠、唐老鸭等一系列家喻户晓的卡通形象，创办了迪斯尼
Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded.
Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him hopeless as a composer.
Colonel Sanders had the construction of a new road put him out of business in 1967. He went to over 1,000 places trying to sell his chicken recipe before he found a buyer interested in his 11 herbs and spices. Seven years later, at the age of 75, Colonel Sanders sold his fried chicken company for a finger-licking $15 million!
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas. Disney also went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland.
Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution, gave up a medical career and was told by his father, “You care for nothing but shooting, dogs, and rat catching.” In his autobiography , Darwin wrote, “I was considered by my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard in intellect.
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was four years old and didn’t read until he was seven. His teacher described him as “mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams.” He was refused admittance to Zurich Polytechnic School. The University of Bern turned down his Ph.D. dissertation as being irrelevant and fanciful.
The movie Star Wars was rejected by every movie studio in Hollywood before 20th-Century Fox finally produced it. It went on to be one of the largest grossing movies in film history. Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15 out of 22 in chemistry.
When General Douglas MacArthur applied for admission to West Point, he was turned down, not once but twice. But he tried a third time, was accepted and marched into the history books.
After Fred Astaire’s first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, said, “Can’t act! Slightly bald! Can dance a little!” Astaire kept that memo over the fireplace in his Beverly Hills home.
The father of the sculptor Rodin said, “I have an idiot for a son.” Described as the worst pupil in the school, Rodin failed three times to secure admittance to the school of art. His uncle called him uneducable.
Babe Ruth, considered by sports historians to be the greatest athlete of all time and famous for setting the home run record, also holds the record for strikeouts.
Eighteen publishers turned down Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, before Macmillan finally published it in 1970. By 1975 it had sold more than seven million copies in the U.S. alone.
Margaret Mitchell’s classic Gone with the Wind was turned down by more than twenty-five publishers.
In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, “You ain’t goin’ nowhere… son. You ought to go back to driving a truck.” Elvis Presley went on to become the most popular singer in America.
Never give up believing in yourself!
1 Henry Ford: 亨利?福特（1863—1947），1903年创建福特汽车公司，享有“汽车大王”的美誉。
2 Beethoven: 贝多芬（1770—1827）, 德国最伟大的作曲家之一。
3 Colonel Sanders: 桑德斯上校，1939年桑德斯研发出一套由11种香料组合而成的独家炸鸡配方，1952年他在美国的肯塔基州创建了肯德基炸鸡餐厅，后发展为全球连锁的快餐厅。have a construction of a new road: 在这里是比喻用法，指掌握了一种新方法；out of business: 破产的，失业的。
4 figer-licking: 让人垂涎三尺的，作者借用了肯德基著名的广告语“It’s figer-licking good!（好吃到你吃完要舔手指头）”中的finger-licking，衍生出了这个意思。
5 Walt Disney: 沃尔特?迪斯尼（1901—1966），创造了米老鼠、唐老鸭等一系列家喻户晓的卡通形象，创办了迪斯尼
Friday, February 20, 2009
往事悠悠 zz
百世暮雨，千载沧桑，依旧承担不了回忆的荒凉，要不然，那糙脆到呼吸都能吹散的发黄的书卷，那在地下沉睡许久的古莲子，为何会在夜深人静的时候，发出一声细微的不为人知的叹息？
往事悠悠，悠悠往事，最是柔美缠绵，却又是惟有它，才能打开心灵深处最坚实的那扇门。于是啊，在那一刻，漫天呼啸的，夹杂着黄沙的风便吹进去了，心在那一刻是颤抖的，激动不已的。它默默地重拾了曾经的感觉，那份感觉太真实，太完整了，以至于到最后，有哭泣的声音从心灵深处传来。
这就是回忆，就像喝了一杯冰冷的水，要用心底的温度，慢慢得一滴一滴融成热泪。
我是一个喜欢回忆的人，常常听着熟悉的旋律，往事便一幕幕被唤起。曾经的欢笑，曾经的悲伤，曾经的所有复杂的感情，都在那一瞬间，被一双温暖的手拉出来，轻轻抚摸着，慢慢汇成一股亲切的暖流，流过心灵的每一个角落，有意无意的轻轻诉说，直至潸然泪下。
我们都是在光阴中奔跑喘息的人，我们没有妄图拦住时光的流逝，而是想要抓住曾经珍贵的点点滴滴。往事啊，便在这回忆中伫立成永恒。
又仿佛，看到了那屹立在山巅上青松旁的巨石，它的某个角落里，蜷缩着一枚贝壳的化石。是的，贝壳！在这高高的山巅之上，在这有着明月青松的苍穹下，闪着淡淡光泽的一抹痕迹，它也在回忆吧？可能是，它想起了千万年前汪洋澎湃的景象，也可能，它想起了自己对紧紧裹在身体里的那粒砂粒的期待。可是，就那么一愰啊，世事已然沧桑！
往事悠悠，像一根琴弦，将世间的喜怒哀乐，爱恨情仇，拨弄的缠绵悱恻却又无尽萧索。
那一只美丽的白狐啊，可是因着一段往事，甘愿承受了千年的孤独吗？滚滚红尘里，她扮作一个路人，只为找寻记忆深处那双曾经邂逅的眼眸；茫茫人海中，她撑起一把油纸伞，就那么伫立着，伫立着，只为重温记忆中的那一次擦肩而过。
往事悠悠啊，以至于，千年以后，再回首，依旧撩人心扉。
悠悠的往事，从指缝中流过，有着涓涓的夹着呜咽的音调。像是三生河畔的神瑛侍者与他眼中无限娇媚的绛珠草，前世的种种情缘啊，终于结成了今生丝丝缕缕的牵绊。像是瑟瑟寒风中那一枚垂首的桑葚，为了冥冥之中的承诺，为了伊人温柔的抚摸，就那么痴痴的藏在一片桑叶下，躲过了风雨和鸟儿，等待着，等待着……
这是一个多美丽而有遗憾的世界，奔波在碌碌红尘中的人们，有着太多太多的无奈与叹息，以至于，面对过往昨昔，他们只能默然不语。曾经沧海难为水啊，弹指间，悠悠过往，都有了积淀的重量。
往事悠悠，在无边的黑暗中，它伸出了一双无形的手，把心浓缩成亘古不变的模样。
往事悠悠，悠悠往事，最是柔美缠绵，却又是惟有它，才能打开心灵深处最坚实的那扇门。于是啊，在那一刻，漫天呼啸的，夹杂着黄沙的风便吹进去了，心在那一刻是颤抖的，激动不已的。它默默地重拾了曾经的感觉，那份感觉太真实，太完整了，以至于到最后，有哭泣的声音从心灵深处传来。
这就是回忆，就像喝了一杯冰冷的水，要用心底的温度，慢慢得一滴一滴融成热泪。
我是一个喜欢回忆的人，常常听着熟悉的旋律，往事便一幕幕被唤起。曾经的欢笑，曾经的悲伤，曾经的所有复杂的感情，都在那一瞬间，被一双温暖的手拉出来，轻轻抚摸着，慢慢汇成一股亲切的暖流，流过心灵的每一个角落，有意无意的轻轻诉说，直至潸然泪下。
我们都是在光阴中奔跑喘息的人，我们没有妄图拦住时光的流逝，而是想要抓住曾经珍贵的点点滴滴。往事啊，便在这回忆中伫立成永恒。
又仿佛，看到了那屹立在山巅上青松旁的巨石，它的某个角落里，蜷缩着一枚贝壳的化石。是的，贝壳！在这高高的山巅之上，在这有着明月青松的苍穹下，闪着淡淡光泽的一抹痕迹，它也在回忆吧？可能是，它想起了千万年前汪洋澎湃的景象，也可能，它想起了自己对紧紧裹在身体里的那粒砂粒的期待。可是，就那么一愰啊，世事已然沧桑！
往事悠悠，像一根琴弦，将世间的喜怒哀乐，爱恨情仇，拨弄的缠绵悱恻却又无尽萧索。
那一只美丽的白狐啊，可是因着一段往事，甘愿承受了千年的孤独吗？滚滚红尘里，她扮作一个路人，只为找寻记忆深处那双曾经邂逅的眼眸；茫茫人海中，她撑起一把油纸伞，就那么伫立着，伫立着，只为重温记忆中的那一次擦肩而过。
往事悠悠啊，以至于，千年以后，再回首，依旧撩人心扉。
悠悠的往事，从指缝中流过，有着涓涓的夹着呜咽的音调。像是三生河畔的神瑛侍者与他眼中无限娇媚的绛珠草，前世的种种情缘啊，终于结成了今生丝丝缕缕的牵绊。像是瑟瑟寒风中那一枚垂首的桑葚，为了冥冥之中的承诺，为了伊人温柔的抚摸，就那么痴痴的藏在一片桑叶下，躲过了风雨和鸟儿，等待着，等待着……
这是一个多美丽而有遗憾的世界，奔波在碌碌红尘中的人们，有着太多太多的无奈与叹息，以至于，面对过往昨昔，他们只能默然不语。曾经沧海难为水啊，弹指间，悠悠过往，都有了积淀的重量。
往事悠悠，在无边的黑暗中，它伸出了一双无形的手，把心浓缩成亘古不变的模样。
Friday, January 9, 2009
"I Am"
I am…what? How do I define myself? What do I add to the words "I am"? When I look into the mirror what is it that I see, or do I even dare to look closely enough to define what lives within my eyes? How do I change my life by adding simple words to my “I Am”? Can change really be that easy? The statement “I Am,” in its simplicity, is truly all one needs in life, because the power of saying “I Am” summons forth the incontrovertible truth of the marvel and wonder of your individual being.
Years ago, Grandmother, my favorite Guide in meditation, taught me to go within and face my “I Am.” It takes courage to face who you are and the beliefs you are based upon, but Grandmother also taught me not to fear my “I Am,” because it would always be in my power to either change or build upon what I would find inside.
Grandmother stressed that "All that I Am" is present at all times for others to see when they looked into my eyes. “You may be successful at hiding your self from yourself but your actions and life are living proof of what you are and what you believe,” she said. But Grandmother also stated that I would always be free to choose what I want to show to others in my eyes as long as I was willing to work for it. “Change comes upon demand,” she said.
In my journey of discovery Grandmother spoke to me about developing my pride and self esteem, and of showing it to others in my bearing and my eyes. I have spent a considerable amount of time working with my Guides in order to build my pride and self esteem, and I am careful to keep them in front of me so that I don't forget. Pride is crucial to our sense of well being for without pride we would never believe anything remotely encouraging about ourselves. I cannot claim the power of the “I Am” without having the pride to support who I am and where I come from.
In the lectures that I do I love to talk about the power of the “I Am” statements. Too often in my line of work (psychic readings) I hear people speaking of their barriers rather than of their strengths. The “I Am” statements are building blocks, cornerstones really, of strengths, beliefs, empowerment and pride. I look into my eyes and see my strengths. I look into my eyes and build upon the strengths I see by further empowering myself with encouraging “I Am” statements. I look into my eyes and see that I am beautiful for many reasons, none of them based upon the flesh or physical. I am able to look into my eyes without fear of what I will find. I am able to see the Spirit in my eyes and celebrate. I constantly encourage others to start the “I Am” habit, and practice it diligently in order to reap the benefits, because like everything else in this world the value we receive is comparable to the effort we expend.
"I am magnificent!" This I believe without a doubt as I have met my Magnificent Spirit Self in meditation…what a reason to celebrate!
"I am patient!" This I find myself saying quite often and then wonder why I have to…haha.
"I am powerful!" Grandmother, along with other Guides, have consistently shown this to me and helped me to believe it.
"I am blessed!" All I have to do is look inside of me to find this truth, and then I look to my outside life and realize I am doubly blessed.
Try your own “I Am” statements, filling them with words that resonate for you. Be diligent in saying them as often as you will, as often as you can. Love yourself for the “I AM” that you are.
Chris Burnett
Years ago, Grandmother, my favorite Guide in meditation, taught me to go within and face my “I Am.” It takes courage to face who you are and the beliefs you are based upon, but Grandmother also taught me not to fear my “I Am,” because it would always be in my power to either change or build upon what I would find inside.
Grandmother stressed that "All that I Am" is present at all times for others to see when they looked into my eyes. “You may be successful at hiding your self from yourself but your actions and life are living proof of what you are and what you believe,” she said. But Grandmother also stated that I would always be free to choose what I want to show to others in my eyes as long as I was willing to work for it. “Change comes upon demand,” she said.
In my journey of discovery Grandmother spoke to me about developing my pride and self esteem, and of showing it to others in my bearing and my eyes. I have spent a considerable amount of time working with my Guides in order to build my pride and self esteem, and I am careful to keep them in front of me so that I don't forget. Pride is crucial to our sense of well being for without pride we would never believe anything remotely encouraging about ourselves. I cannot claim the power of the “I Am” without having the pride to support who I am and where I come from.
In the lectures that I do I love to talk about the power of the “I Am” statements. Too often in my line of work (psychic readings) I hear people speaking of their barriers rather than of their strengths. The “I Am” statements are building blocks, cornerstones really, of strengths, beliefs, empowerment and pride. I look into my eyes and see my strengths. I look into my eyes and build upon the strengths I see by further empowering myself with encouraging “I Am” statements. I look into my eyes and see that I am beautiful for many reasons, none of them based upon the flesh or physical. I am able to look into my eyes without fear of what I will find. I am able to see the Spirit in my eyes and celebrate. I constantly encourage others to start the “I Am” habit, and practice it diligently in order to reap the benefits, because like everything else in this world the value we receive is comparable to the effort we expend.
"I am magnificent!" This I believe without a doubt as I have met my Magnificent Spirit Self in meditation…what a reason to celebrate!
"I am patient!" This I find myself saying quite often and then wonder why I have to…haha.
"I am powerful!" Grandmother, along with other Guides, have consistently shown this to me and helped me to believe it.
"I am blessed!" All I have to do is look inside of me to find this truth, and then I look to my outside life and realize I am doubly blessed.
Try your own “I Am” statements, filling them with words that resonate for you. Be diligent in saying them as often as you will, as often as you can. Love yourself for the “I AM” that you are.
Chris Burnett
"Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am United"
This statement was given to me in meditation and can be used as a mantra, an empowerment, a truth, and/or a prayer. I have spent many hours in meditation repeating; “Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am United.” The simple act of repeating this statement in quiet time is very powerful.
Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united…their eternal circle runs through my core and all I have to do is be aware. Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united…Father Sky’s voice lends comfort to my mind while Mother Earth enfolds me. Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united…Father Sky as my frame and Mother Earth as my substance support my surrender and I breathe easily. Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united…their presence draws my truth to the surface, I stand in awe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following is an excerpt from my manuscript "Grandmother Speaks" in which a Native American Guide spoke about this powerful statement. He said to me, “Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united. Feel the unity and bond that come together in the repeating of this peaceful but powerful statement. For it is through Mother Earth and Father Sky that you are united. As they both rise within you you’ll find the strength of the old ways, the peace that gave the warrior his direction, the mist that carried the invisible thread tying you to your destiny. Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united, this is the breath you draw, the love you exhale, the worship you divine in the ways of the old. Never forget who was here for the first rising sun and will be for every successive one. Draw breath for Mother Earth and Father Sky, praying that you never forget them, that you serve them with their blood running through your veins."
Suddenly, while he is speaking, what was daylight has turned into nighttime, with a million stars around us, and he continues by saying: “We welcomed the night when people lay down their weapons. We welcomed the night as we welcomed the dawn, for it was written. The night served us by directing our thoughts elsewhere. We welcomed the night when our fires would glow, reminding us of the power and magic lying in wait, reminding us of simple pleasures, of warmth and of necessities. A different mind would come with the night, giving us powers day did not allow. The old ways served us well. But you don’t have to live that way now. Life has changed greatly for you. But one thing has never changed, Mother Earth and Father Sky. They will never change. Who has forgotten them? Don’t run so fast you forget Mother Earth and Father Sky. Capture their essence which lies within you, for dormant or not, it is what drives your blood. Acknowledge them as the sun that rises, the moon that brightens, and the stars that remind you. Bless Mother Earth and Father Sky, that they may rise and unite within you, covering you as a mother who would wrap you in a blanket against the chill. Never forget who truly rises each day, keeping life flowing through the lands.”
“Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am United." I say this in silence, allowing the balance to enter my mind, and the direction to take hold. I hold out my hands knowing guidance will be given. I stand in acceptance of what would be given. "Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am United.”
Chris Burnett
Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united…their eternal circle runs through my core and all I have to do is be aware. Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united…Father Sky’s voice lends comfort to my mind while Mother Earth enfolds me. Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united…Father Sky as my frame and Mother Earth as my substance support my surrender and I breathe easily. Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united…their presence draws my truth to the surface, I stand in awe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following is an excerpt from my manuscript "Grandmother Speaks" in which a Native American Guide spoke about this powerful statement. He said to me, “Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united. Feel the unity and bond that come together in the repeating of this peaceful but powerful statement. For it is through Mother Earth and Father Sky that you are united. As they both rise within you you’ll find the strength of the old ways, the peace that gave the warrior his direction, the mist that carried the invisible thread tying you to your destiny. Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am united, this is the breath you draw, the love you exhale, the worship you divine in the ways of the old. Never forget who was here for the first rising sun and will be for every successive one. Draw breath for Mother Earth and Father Sky, praying that you never forget them, that you serve them with their blood running through your veins."
Suddenly, while he is speaking, what was daylight has turned into nighttime, with a million stars around us, and he continues by saying: “We welcomed the night when people lay down their weapons. We welcomed the night as we welcomed the dawn, for it was written. The night served us by directing our thoughts elsewhere. We welcomed the night when our fires would glow, reminding us of the power and magic lying in wait, reminding us of simple pleasures, of warmth and of necessities. A different mind would come with the night, giving us powers day did not allow. The old ways served us well. But you don’t have to live that way now. Life has changed greatly for you. But one thing has never changed, Mother Earth and Father Sky. They will never change. Who has forgotten them? Don’t run so fast you forget Mother Earth and Father Sky. Capture their essence which lies within you, for dormant or not, it is what drives your blood. Acknowledge them as the sun that rises, the moon that brightens, and the stars that remind you. Bless Mother Earth and Father Sky, that they may rise and unite within you, covering you as a mother who would wrap you in a blanket against the chill. Never forget who truly rises each day, keeping life flowing through the lands.”
“Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am United." I say this in silence, allowing the balance to enter my mind, and the direction to take hold. I hold out my hands knowing guidance will be given. I stand in acceptance of what would be given. "Through Mother Earth and Father Sky I am United.”
Chris Burnett
我喜欢天空 转载
我喜欢蓝色，因为它是天空的颜色。
蓝色包围着我们，一种宁静，柔和的感觉袭上心头。如果说，大地是孕育万物的母亲，那么，天空便是用双手温暖着世间的父亲。我喜欢天空，它用独特的方式包容着我们，让我们生活在这把被蓝蓝的爱所包围的伞下。
我喜欢淋雨，因为它是天空的眼泪。
雨，是伤感的，它因思念大地而簌簌落下的；雨是神圣的，因为它是带着天空对大地万物的思念而飘落的；雨是快乐的，因为它不仅传递着天空的思念，还用自己的身躯滋润大地。我喜欢天空，它用独特的方式传递自己的情感，让我们生活在这多彩的世界中。
我喜欢看云，因为它是天空的表情。
云，是多变的，忽而晴空万里，忽而阴晴不定，忽而一片乌黑。晴空万里时，风和日丽，明朗、清新，让我们感觉到此时的天空是快乐的。因为它感觉到大地与它的距离越来越近……阴晴不定时，风呼啸着，此时的天空是愤怒的，因为无论怎样努力，大地和它始终无法在一起，只能隔着千万里遥遥相望……一片乌黑时，雷霆万钧，雷是天空哭泣的声音，此时的天空是忧郁的。因为他思念着大地，却无法与大地拥抱。我喜欢天空，因为它对大地的痴情令人钦佩，让我们有了“天若有情天亦老，此情绵绵无绝期”的感叹。
天空是透明的，它将自己一切毫不保留地交给了对方。天空是深沉的，就凭它那满腔热情……
我喜欢天空，因为它像父亲一般温暖着我，宽容着我；像师长一样，开启着我，感化着我。
我喜欢天空，因为它的无私奉献，奉献它那满腔的爱恋。
我喜欢天空，因为它的矢志不渝，执着对大地的痴情。
我喜欢天空，不需要理由；
我喜欢天空，有太多理由。
蓝色包围着我们，一种宁静，柔和的感觉袭上心头。如果说，大地是孕育万物的母亲，那么，天空便是用双手温暖着世间的父亲。我喜欢天空，它用独特的方式包容着我们，让我们生活在这把被蓝蓝的爱所包围的伞下。
我喜欢淋雨，因为它是天空的眼泪。
雨，是伤感的，它因思念大地而簌簌落下的；雨是神圣的，因为它是带着天空对大地万物的思念而飘落的；雨是快乐的，因为它不仅传递着天空的思念，还用自己的身躯滋润大地。我喜欢天空，它用独特的方式传递自己的情感，让我们生活在这多彩的世界中。
我喜欢看云，因为它是天空的表情。
云，是多变的，忽而晴空万里，忽而阴晴不定，忽而一片乌黑。晴空万里时，风和日丽，明朗、清新，让我们感觉到此时的天空是快乐的。因为它感觉到大地与它的距离越来越近……阴晴不定时，风呼啸着，此时的天空是愤怒的，因为无论怎样努力，大地和它始终无法在一起，只能隔着千万里遥遥相望……一片乌黑时，雷霆万钧，雷是天空哭泣的声音，此时的天空是忧郁的。因为他思念着大地，却无法与大地拥抱。我喜欢天空，因为它对大地的痴情令人钦佩，让我们有了“天若有情天亦老，此情绵绵无绝期”的感叹。
天空是透明的，它将自己一切毫不保留地交给了对方。天空是深沉的，就凭它那满腔热情……
我喜欢天空，因为它像父亲一般温暖着我，宽容着我；像师长一样，开启着我，感化着我。
我喜欢天空，因为它的无私奉献，奉献它那满腔的爱恋。
我喜欢天空，因为它的矢志不渝，执着对大地的痴情。
我喜欢天空，不需要理由；
我喜欢天空，有太多理由。
做人就要想得开 转载
想得开，朋友们时常这么说我，是夸是骂，是褒是贬，我也说不清。但，我活40多岁，确实想得开。
其实，人世间许多事情想不开，又有何用呢。世上的不平不公不尽人意之事多着啦，都想不开，难道把人想死了不成。许多事是由不得你去想的。
人生苦短，岁月匆匆。于我而言，想不开无济于事，不如想得开笑逐颜开。比如，有的人官运亨通，通得让人不可思议、不可言状、不可理喻，我观之听之不眼红、不犯傻、不来气，多从不如人方面去掂量、去思考，将自己短处比人家长处、劣势比人家优势，尽量化解不服气。再不行就从另一个方面去看去想，当多大的官就得负多大的责任、操多大的心、耗多大的精神气，我不当或当不上那么大官儿，至少可以省心省力多活几年。又比如，有的人权钱交易、公款消费，成了新贵族，我一片冰心、一尘不染、一笑置之，又想着花脏钱早晚是病，有廉风吹来，轻则感冒咳嗽，重则高烧、败血，总是在心神不定、心慌意乱，甚至于心胆俱裂的氛围中度日如年。而我虽然清贫，却活得踏实、滋润，不必担惊受怕，开开心心多活几年，那长寿工资也不是一个小数目。还有，有的人占你的强，不要生气，让他三尺又何妨；有的事你吃了亏，不要烦恼，古人云：“吃亏是福”。本是一介书生、草民一个，就不想吃天鹅肉、不逛大观园、不做桃花梦、不求身外物、不强人所难、不夺人之美，想得开也是一件不容易的事，也是一门学问，也是一种思想斗争。别人山珍海味，我有清茶淡饭；别人花园别墅，我有安身之所；别人香车美女，我有贤妻陪伴；别人飘洋过海，我也能就近看看小桥流水；别人是VIP会员，我有书读就是乐园；别人旅游休闲，我有绿茶一杯品茗偷闲。想得开，便轻松快乐，活得一点不累。想不开的事天天有，想得开就心胸坦荡、海阔天空、开开心心、快快乐乐、平平安安。
寻思一下，我的想得开，多多少少有一点阿Q精神，多多少少有一定无可奈何的成分，多多少少有一点看破红尘、安于现状的个性元素。想得开，作为一种境界、一种达观、一种修养、一种精神，我不配，也做不到，但是，我知道，想不开是自讨没趣，自寻烦恼，自我捆绑，是为自己树敌、替自己设障、跟自己过不去、使自己郁闷。
想得开是心灵“空调”，是生活技巧，是处世艺术，是为人哲学，因为想得开，坏事或许会变为好事，失败或许会转为成功，悲怆或许会化作喜悦。我也知道，有些事，我们无法控制，只好控制自己。令人沮丧的往往不是事实，而是在比较中想和在想中比较。失去了灿烂的朝霞，我们拥有辉煌的夕阳，那是一种感动；失去了甘甜的琼浆，我们拥有卧薪尝胆的希望，那是一种领悟；失去了春天动人的鲜花，去拥有秋天迷人的果实；失去了美酒佳肴，拥有了野味甘泉……我还知道，会经营自己的人比会经营别人的人伟大。想不开，不是不思进取，不求上进，不是贪图安逸，得过且过，而是顺其自然，把握机会，是平衡心态，曲径通幽。
想得开，并非工作马马虎虎、敷衍塞责，并非为人狡猾欺诈、玩世不恭，并非处事斤斤计较、拈轻怕重。平凡的生活是一种自然的美，平凡的人生是一首不卑不亢的歌，需要惊天动地自当义无反顾，注定平淡无奇也要从从容容。“不以物喜，不以己悲”，不戚戚于名利，不在乎一时一事的得失。
做人，磊磊落落，如日月皎然，行事，经得起诱惑，抗得住打击。这样的人生，丰富而多彩，丰盈而充实，轻松而快乐。想得开的微笑，即使出现在最丑的脸上也是美的！
其实，人世间许多事情想不开，又有何用呢。世上的不平不公不尽人意之事多着啦，都想不开，难道把人想死了不成。许多事是由不得你去想的。
人生苦短，岁月匆匆。于我而言，想不开无济于事，不如想得开笑逐颜开。比如，有的人官运亨通，通得让人不可思议、不可言状、不可理喻，我观之听之不眼红、不犯傻、不来气，多从不如人方面去掂量、去思考，将自己短处比人家长处、劣势比人家优势，尽量化解不服气。再不行就从另一个方面去看去想，当多大的官就得负多大的责任、操多大的心、耗多大的精神气，我不当或当不上那么大官儿，至少可以省心省力多活几年。又比如，有的人权钱交易、公款消费，成了新贵族，我一片冰心、一尘不染、一笑置之，又想着花脏钱早晚是病，有廉风吹来，轻则感冒咳嗽，重则高烧、败血，总是在心神不定、心慌意乱，甚至于心胆俱裂的氛围中度日如年。而我虽然清贫，却活得踏实、滋润，不必担惊受怕，开开心心多活几年，那长寿工资也不是一个小数目。还有，有的人占你的强，不要生气，让他三尺又何妨；有的事你吃了亏，不要烦恼，古人云：“吃亏是福”。本是一介书生、草民一个，就不想吃天鹅肉、不逛大观园、不做桃花梦、不求身外物、不强人所难、不夺人之美，想得开也是一件不容易的事，也是一门学问，也是一种思想斗争。别人山珍海味，我有清茶淡饭；别人花园别墅，我有安身之所；别人香车美女，我有贤妻陪伴；别人飘洋过海，我也能就近看看小桥流水；别人是VIP会员，我有书读就是乐园；别人旅游休闲，我有绿茶一杯品茗偷闲。想得开，便轻松快乐，活得一点不累。想不开的事天天有，想得开就心胸坦荡、海阔天空、开开心心、快快乐乐、平平安安。
寻思一下，我的想得开，多多少少有一点阿Q精神，多多少少有一定无可奈何的成分，多多少少有一点看破红尘、安于现状的个性元素。想得开，作为一种境界、一种达观、一种修养、一种精神，我不配，也做不到，但是，我知道，想不开是自讨没趣，自寻烦恼，自我捆绑，是为自己树敌、替自己设障、跟自己过不去、使自己郁闷。
想得开是心灵“空调”，是生活技巧，是处世艺术，是为人哲学，因为想得开，坏事或许会变为好事，失败或许会转为成功，悲怆或许会化作喜悦。我也知道，有些事，我们无法控制，只好控制自己。令人沮丧的往往不是事实，而是在比较中想和在想中比较。失去了灿烂的朝霞，我们拥有辉煌的夕阳，那是一种感动；失去了甘甜的琼浆，我们拥有卧薪尝胆的希望，那是一种领悟；失去了春天动人的鲜花，去拥有秋天迷人的果实；失去了美酒佳肴，拥有了野味甘泉……我还知道，会经营自己的人比会经营别人的人伟大。想不开，不是不思进取，不求上进，不是贪图安逸，得过且过，而是顺其自然，把握机会，是平衡心态，曲径通幽。
想得开，并非工作马马虎虎、敷衍塞责，并非为人狡猾欺诈、玩世不恭，并非处事斤斤计较、拈轻怕重。平凡的生活是一种自然的美，平凡的人生是一首不卑不亢的歌，需要惊天动地自当义无反顾，注定平淡无奇也要从从容容。“不以物喜，不以己悲”，不戚戚于名利，不在乎一时一事的得失。
做人，磊磊落落，如日月皎然，行事，经得起诱惑，抗得住打击。这样的人生，丰富而多彩，丰盈而充实，轻松而快乐。想得开的微笑，即使出现在最丑的脸上也是美的！
学会微笑，生活更精彩 转载
生活并没有拖欠我们任何东西，所以没有必要总苦着脸。应对生活充满感激，至少，它给了我们生命，给了我们生存的空间。
微笑是对生活的一种态度，跟贫富，地位，处境没有必然的联系。一个富翁可能整天忧心忡忡，而一个穷人可能心情舒畅：一位残疾人可能坦然乐观；一位处境顺利的人可能会愁眉不展，一位身处逆境的人可能会面带微笑……
一个人的情绪受环境的影响，这是很正常的，但你苦着脸，一副苦大仇深的样子，对处境并不会有任何的改变，相反，如果微笑着去生活，那会增加亲和力，别人更乐于跟你交往，得到的机会也会更多。
只有心里有阳光的人，才能感受到现实的阳光，如果连自己都常苦着脸，那生活如何美好？生活始终是一面镜子，照到的是我们的影像，当我们哭泣时，生活在哭泣，当我们微笑时，生活也在微笑。
微笑发自内心，不卑不亢，既不是对弱者的愚弄，也不是对强者的奉承。奉承时的笑容，是一种假笑，而面具是不会长久的，一旦有机会，他们便会除下面具，露出本来的面目。
微笑没有目的，无论是对上司，还是对门卫，那笑容都是一样，微笑是对他人的尊重，同时是对生活的尊重。微笑是有"回报"的，人际关系就像物理学上所说的力的平衡，你怎样对别人，别人就会怎样对你，你对别人的微笑越多，别人对你的微笑也会越多。
在受到别人的曲解后，可以选择暴怒，也可以选择微笑，通常微笑的力量会更大，因为微笑会震撼对方的心灵，显露出来的豁达气度让对方觉得自己渺小，丑陋。
清者自清，浊者自浊。有时候过多的解释、争执是没有必要的。对于那些无理取闹、蓄意诋毁的人，给他一个微笑，剩下的事就让时间去证明好了。
当年，有人处处说爱因斯坦的理论错了，并且说有一百位科学家联合作证，爱因斯坦知道了这件事，只是淡淡的笑了笑，说，一百位？要这么多人？只要证明我真的错了，一个人出面便行了。
爱因斯坦的理论经历了时间的考验，而那些人却让一个微笑打败了。
微笑发自内心，无法伪装。保持“微笑”的心态，人生会更加美好。人生中有挫折有失败，有误解，那是很正常的，要想生活中一片坦途，那么首先就应清除心中的障碍。微笑的实质便是爱，懂得爱的人，一定不会是平庸的。
微笑是人生最好的名片，谁不希望跟一个乐观向上的人交朋友呢？微笑能给自己一种信心，也能给别人一种信心，从而更好地激发潜能。
微笑是朋友间最好的语言，一个自然流露的微笑，胜过千言万语，无论是初次谋面也好，相识已久也好，微笑能拉近人与人之间的距离，另彼此之间倍感温暖。
微笑是一种修养，并且是一种很重要的修养，微笑的实质是亲切，是鼓励，是温馨。真正懂得微笑的人，总是容易获得比别人更多的机会，总是容易取得成功。
微笑是对生活的一种态度，跟贫富，地位，处境没有必然的联系。一个富翁可能整天忧心忡忡，而一个穷人可能心情舒畅：一位残疾人可能坦然乐观；一位处境顺利的人可能会愁眉不展，一位身处逆境的人可能会面带微笑……
一个人的情绪受环境的影响，这是很正常的，但你苦着脸，一副苦大仇深的样子，对处境并不会有任何的改变，相反，如果微笑着去生活，那会增加亲和力，别人更乐于跟你交往，得到的机会也会更多。
只有心里有阳光的人，才能感受到现实的阳光，如果连自己都常苦着脸，那生活如何美好？生活始终是一面镜子，照到的是我们的影像，当我们哭泣时，生活在哭泣，当我们微笑时，生活也在微笑。
微笑发自内心，不卑不亢，既不是对弱者的愚弄，也不是对强者的奉承。奉承时的笑容，是一种假笑，而面具是不会长久的，一旦有机会，他们便会除下面具，露出本来的面目。
微笑没有目的，无论是对上司，还是对门卫，那笑容都是一样，微笑是对他人的尊重，同时是对生活的尊重。微笑是有"回报"的，人际关系就像物理学上所说的力的平衡，你怎样对别人，别人就会怎样对你，你对别人的微笑越多，别人对你的微笑也会越多。
在受到别人的曲解后，可以选择暴怒，也可以选择微笑，通常微笑的力量会更大，因为微笑会震撼对方的心灵，显露出来的豁达气度让对方觉得自己渺小，丑陋。
清者自清，浊者自浊。有时候过多的解释、争执是没有必要的。对于那些无理取闹、蓄意诋毁的人，给他一个微笑，剩下的事就让时间去证明好了。
当年，有人处处说爱因斯坦的理论错了，并且说有一百位科学家联合作证，爱因斯坦知道了这件事，只是淡淡的笑了笑，说，一百位？要这么多人？只要证明我真的错了，一个人出面便行了。
爱因斯坦的理论经历了时间的考验，而那些人却让一个微笑打败了。
微笑发自内心，无法伪装。保持“微笑”的心态，人生会更加美好。人生中有挫折有失败，有误解，那是很正常的，要想生活中一片坦途，那么首先就应清除心中的障碍。微笑的实质便是爱，懂得爱的人，一定不会是平庸的。
微笑是人生最好的名片，谁不希望跟一个乐观向上的人交朋友呢？微笑能给自己一种信心，也能给别人一种信心，从而更好地激发潜能。
微笑是朋友间最好的语言，一个自然流露的微笑，胜过千言万语，无论是初次谋面也好，相识已久也好，微笑能拉近人与人之间的距离，另彼此之间倍感温暖。
微笑是一种修养，并且是一种很重要的修养，微笑的实质是亲切，是鼓励，是温馨。真正懂得微笑的人，总是容易获得比别人更多的机会，总是容易取得成功。
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