After all our uplifting discussions in the "Am I Hysterical" area, I thought it might be nice to have a place to share inspiration and encouragement.

Years ago, a friend told me to keep every letter of reference, complimentary notes, etc. and place them in a file labeled "I love me."  Then when you're feeling needy, go through your file and read all the nice things people have to say about you.  It works!

I thought I'd start this topic out by sharing the following link.  It does take a few minutes to load, but it's absolutely beautiful and thought-provoking.

http://members.aol.com/CuttyhunkRose/geese.html

Please post any good inspirational messages here. Let your hair blow free, and keep your chin up!

I certainly agree, Audrey Hepburn's beauty was very much more than "skin deep."

Quote:


I did a little research on this poem and found that was actually writen by Sam Levenson for his grandchild.  Miss Hepburn quoted the poem for her beauty tips but is not the author.  In any case, they are a beautiful statement and I appreciate your sharing it with us.

That's lovely... very inspiring.

Thanks for letting me know the true author of the Beauty Tips.  I get all sorts of thought-provoking e-mails, only to find out later that the info they contain was either skewed slightly or a total urban legend.

I received one this morning which blew me out of the water.  Am currently in touch with a personal friend of one of the subjects in this story, to confirm how much of this is the truth, but if you ask me, it has the ring.  The story follows, and I will let you know when I receive a response on its veracity:

Captain Kangaroo turned 76 recently, which is odd,
because he's never looked a day under 76. (DOB:6/27/27)

It reminded me of the following story.

Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee Marvin, is buried in a grave alongside 3 and 4 star  generals at Arlington National Cemetery.

His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC).  Nothing else.

Here's a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time, why the heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer: I always liked Lee Marvin, but did not know the extent of his Corps experiences.

In a time when many Hollywood stars served their country in the armed forces often in rear-echelon posts where they were carefully protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war bond promotions, Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at Iwo Jima. There is only one higher Naval award... the Medal Of Honor.

If that is a surprising comment on the true character of
the man, he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.

Dialog from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson: His guest was Lee Marvin.

Johnny said, "Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware
that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo
Jima... and that during the course of that action you
earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."

"Yeah, yeah... I got shot square in the ass and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi...bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys gettin' shot hauling you down. But, Johnny, at Iwo I served under the bravest man I ever knew... We both got the cross the same day, but
what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in
comparison.

The dumbass actually stood up on Red beach and
directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off
the beach. Bullets flying by and mortar rounds landing
every where and he stood there as the main target of gunfire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more than one occasion because his men's safety was more important than his own life.

That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to me, lying on my belly on the litter and said, "Where'd they get you Lee?" "Well,Bob... if you make it home before me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse!"

Johnny, I'm not lying...Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever knew.....

The Sergeant's name is Bob Keeshan... You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo."

On a similar note, there was this peaceful little man (who just passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet.

Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. But Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat proven in Vietnam with over twenty-five confirmed kills to his name.

He wore a long sleeve sweater on his show to cover the many tattoos on his forearm and biceps. A master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat.

After the war Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and also dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on the right path in life. He hid the tattoos and his past life away and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm.

America's real heroes don't flaunt what they did, they
quietly go about their day to day lives, doing what they do best. They earned our respect and the freedoms that we all enjoy.

Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your midst.

Often, they are the ones you'd least suspect, but would
most like to have on your side if anything ever happened.

Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our
freedom. With encouragement they could be the next Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers.

Sorry but the story about Bob Keeshan is not true.  Although he was in the Marine reserves, he never saw any action in WWII.  Here's a link: http://www.who2.com/bobkeeshan.html

Neither is the story about Mr Rogers.  http://www.who2.com/fredrogers.html

However, there were many, many quiet heros during the wars, and they should be remembered and honored whether they became famous or not.

The Eyes of a Child

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the
country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be
considered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father
asked his son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.
"Oh, yeah," said the son.
"So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have
a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek
that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the
stars at night. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields
that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve
others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property
to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
With this the boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks,
dad, for showing me how poor we are."
Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don't have.
What is one person's worthless object is another's prize possession. It is
all based
on one's perspective. Take joy in ALL you have, especially your friends.

Being the music listening lover I am, I am inspired by a few songs which make me feel positive when I listen to them.

One is I Have A Dream by Abba.  The basic message is that there is good in everything.

Another is Don't Try So Hard by Queen.  To me it is a personal message by Freddie Mercury who died of AIDS

And two by Bette Midler are From A Distance and Wind Beneath My Wings.

Jerry