THE DAILY SPARK

THE LADDER

“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.”

Quote by Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton OCSO (1915 – 1968) was an American Trappist  monk, writer, theologian, mystic,  poet, social activist  and scholar of comparative religion.  On May 26, 1949, he was ordained to the Catholic priesthood and given the name “Father Louis”. He was a member of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, living there from 1941 to his death.

(Source Wikiedia)

REFLECTION:

  • What ladder are you climbing?
  • What do you hope to see when you reach to top of the ladder?
  • Are you living a life with your ladder leaning against the wrong wall?
  • What changes do you need to make to correct the climb of your life?

BEING TRUE

“I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence.”

Quote by Frederick Douglas  

Frederick Douglas was a famed orator and writer who was a key architect of the movement to end slavery, the very institution to which he was born.  Even after his goal to abolish slavery was achieved, he persisted in his struggle for equality, women’s rights and civil rights setting the stage for landmark change in the United States.

REFLECTION:

  • Do you remain true to what you believe – even risking the ridicule of others?
  • Are there any areas of your life that you are not being true to what you believe and who you want to be?
  • Explore this.
  • What will it take to be in alignment with yourself?

VALUE OF LIFE

Your life and mine should be valued not by what we take … but by what we give. 

Quote by Edgar Allen. Edgar Allen founded Easter Seals in 1919. He was an Ohio businessman who lost his son in a streetcar accident in 1907. The lack of adequate medical services available to save his son prompted Allen to sell his business and begin a fund-raising campaign to build a hospital in his hometown of Elyria, Ohio. Through this new hospital, Allen was surprised to learn that children with disabilities were often hidden from public view. Inspired to make a difference, in 1919 Allen founded the National Society for Crippled Children, the first organization of its kind.

REFLECTION:

  • Are you a taker?
  • Do you give freely?
  • What can you give to someone today?
  • What can you do to make a difference for someone today?