Put On The Brakes
A bumper sticker motto expresses the goal of a campaign to curb gossip: "Put the brakes on loshon hora." The movement began with Rabbi Chaim Feld in Cleveland, Ohio, who says the Bible forbids speaking words that hurt people in any way. Loshon hora is a Hebrew phrase for negative or cruel speech—an evil that causes untold damage.
A Straight Wall
When I was a young boy, the kids in my neighborhood built a clubhouse. We were able to get the floor level, but we were having trouble making the sideboards fit because we didn't use a plumb line. The finished product looked like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Human Love Isn't Enough
Security and significance are two essential elements of emotional health. If we feel we are safe from harm as well as safe from rejection and loneliness, we are blessed with those two essentials. Additionally, if we know that we are viewed with affection and appreciation by at least some of the people who matter to us, that gives us a sense of value.
The God Of Hosea
At the end of Marc Connelly's play Green Pastures, old Hezdrel says he's not afraid to die because he believes in the God of Hosea. The Lord then speaks to him and asks if he didn't mean to say the God of Moses. Hezdrel says no, and explains that he saw the Lord of Hosea as being full of mercy and not fearsome anymore.
What Type Are You?
There are two types of people in the world," someone once said, "those who come into a room and say, 'Here I am!' and those who come in and say, 'Ah, there you are!'"
Overcoming Envy
With tongue in cheek, someone has defined happiness as "an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another."
