Rae's Craft

Light Up the World "We may divide thinkers into those who think for themselves and those who think through others; the latter are the rule, the former the exception. Only the light which we have kindled in ourselves can illuminate others." Arthur Schopenhauer The light we have inside ourselves is our own talent, our own strength-the element that sets us apart from everyone else. We must find that element and set it afire; this is how our world lights up with energy, action,

The Excitement of Life "Every great and commanding moment in the annals of the world is the triumph of some enthusiasm." - Ralph Waldo Emerson Think of some great moments in history: the American Revolution, the abolishment of slavery, the Berlin Wall coming down, the overthrow of apartheid. None of these things would have come about if people didn't have high ideas and fights for them. TODAY I AM GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME TO REFLECT ON THE ISSUES OF THE DAY. I WILL CHOOSE O

Be a Dreamer and a Doer "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt Who built the marvelous world of today, with its machines and amazing capabilities? The people who just took life as it came to them with no thought to dream or goals? No, for the most part, it was built by the people who noticed problems, came up with solutions, and worked until their goals were realized. It will be the same with the future-it will be forme

The Extra Mile "If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say: Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well." - Martin Luther King Jr. After serving as a fighter pilot during World War II, my dad worked as a rural mail carrier in our small hometown. For 32 years he tra

Our Tiny Corner of the World "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt Life can be overwhelming. We see problems all around us, and it's easy to just throw up our hands. We need to stop feeling responsible for changing the world. We are only responsible for our tiny corner of it. If everyone took care of their tiny corner, that would change the world. TODAY I WILL ANALYZE MY SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENT- MY CITY OR TOWN, OR EVEN JUST MY BLOCK. I

Dream Works "You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." - Jack London Very few things just appear before us. Writers often discuss being frustrated by writer's block, but the basic truth is that inspiration is something that we must actively seek. If we just sit back and wait to be inspired, we will likely fall asleep on the couch before anything earth-shattering occurs to us. We have to get out there and do lots of different things. That's when

A Friend in Need "A friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else." - Len Wein Imagine it is a Friday night; it was a long week at work, and you are about to crawl into bed for a long night's sleep. Your phone rings- it is your dearest friend, and she has fallen and injured her ankle. She asks if you will take her to the emergency room. What do you do? You help her, even though the ER on a Friday night is the last place you would choose to be.

Rounding Home "In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back." - Charles Schulz We find ourselves on our own a lot in life. That can be scary, but it also can be beautiful. I choose to see it as beautiful. I run through life- arms flailing, laughing, kicking up my heels, skidding into the answers as they hit me smack in the face. Sure, I make mistakes- but I learn from them, and my performance on the next task is all the better for it. Bring it on. I WILL EMBRACE T

Try, Try Again "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." - Albert Einstein Most of us could make a long list of things we've tried that didn't quite work out. I've made mistakes as a child, a student, a wife, a parent, a friend, and a soul mate. But I'm happy to report that every one of those mistakes taught me something that helped me to do better on a later endeavor. TODAY I WILL NOT BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. IF I FALL DOWN, I WILL HAVE A

Follow Your Heart "If you let people follow their feelings, they will be able to do good. This is what is meant by saying that human nature is good." - Mencius I will never understand parents who try to persuade their child to follow a career that is more to the parents' liking than the child's. When one makes a career out of a dream or passion that's been nestled in one's heart, it's easy to look forward to going to work. Feeling fulfilled by our work fosters a more posit

How to Be Memorable "The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering." - Augustine of Hippo Think of all the memorable people throughout history- George Washington, Susan B. Anthony, Vincent van Gogh, Martin Luther King Jr. They all worked toward different goals, but they were all dedicated to those goals and worked hard to achieve them. think of the memorable people in your own family and community as well. The ones we most admire were the ones who, over

Shake Things Up "As long as you live, keep learning how to live." - Seneca We live our lives a little differently with each passing year, don't we? Often the changes are subtle, so we may not notice the impact they have on our lives. Change is invigorating and inspiring, and each new experience opens more doors. TODAY I WILL SHAKE UP MY ROUTINE IN SOME WAY. PERHAPS I'LL TRY OUT A NEW RECIPE OR GIVE MY CAR A BREAK AND RIDE MY BIKE TO WORK. #RaesCraft #encourage #Post #Patri

Say " Aaaaahhhhhh" "We are continually faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insolvable problems." - Benjamin Franklin When I hear the phrase "insolvable problem" these days, health care is the first thing that comes to mind. It is such a huge issue, but we have conquered bigger problems in the past, haven't we? I know if we all come together, we can come up with a better system, and future generations will marvel at our ingenuity. TODAY I WILL DO MY PART TO

Best Foot Forward "We shouldn't want to look like anybody but ourselves, because we are the people we were intended to be." - Dixie Carter I've got age spots, gray hair that I color blonde, and wrinkles around my eyes. I've earned each and every aspect of my growing-older face. I like my face. It's the only one I'll ever have. I am not going to lift it, stretch it, or make anything smaller or bigger. I just want to be me-nobody else. I'm not aiming for perfection, and

Appreciating the Weeds "A good garden may have some weeds." - Thomas Fuller One small weed does not ruin a lovely garden, does it? If the gardener allows the weed to multiply and take over the garden, yes, the garden will be ruined. A weed here and there is natural, however. Just like with us, right? We will never be perfect, but we are still good overall. Take notice of any imperfections and work on them, but do not despair. TODAY I WILL REFLECT ON MYSELF. I WILL BE HO

The Sweet Scent of Forgiveness "Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it. - Mark Twain It's hard -very hard-to forgive someone who has violated your trust or crushed your spirit. But human beings actually have an amazing capacity for forgiveness. I will never forget the episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show in which a mother forgave the man who murdered her child. How did she do it, I wondered. Her heart must be the size of several footb

The Good Ol' Days "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." - Booker T. Washington The struggles we face on our life journeys give us that fine patina that we can eventually claim as wisdom. Having been blessed with a carefree childhood, it never occurred to me that I might end up struggling financially to raise four children on my own. Once it w

Unzipping My Soul "Don't be so humble-you are not that great." Golda Meir As a professional speaker, I know that we love listening to our own introductions. The MC generally blathers on and on about our accomplishments. By the time it is my turn to speak, I am usually embarrassed enough that I begin by telling the audience, "I've been married, divorced, and annulled twice. My second husband left me for an older woman. I raised four kids as a single parent, had them in col