Deep doubts, deep wisdom; small doubts, little wisdom. (Chinese proverb)

Heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

Al Capp, creator of the famous comic strip Lil Abner, was one day invited to a university to give a lecture to the students. Before he could begin speaking to the large group assembled in the auditorium a very unkempt-looking student at the back shouted a vulgar word at him. The word rang in everyone's ears. There was a shocked silence but Capp, keeping his composure, said, "Now that you've given us your name, what's your question?

"Success isn't permanent and failure isn't fatal." -- Mike Ditka - NFL Hall of Famer (from Aliquippa PA)

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan." -- Tom Landry

"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will." -- Vince Lombardi

"Build for your team a feeling of oneness, of dependence on one another, and of strength to be derived by unity." -- Vince Lombardi

"I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious." -- Vince Lombardi

"Leadership is based on a spiritual quality; the power to inspire, the power to inspire others to follow." -- Vince Lombardi

"Any man who is afraid of failure will never win!  Any man who is afraid to die, will never really live!" -- General George Patton

"Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory." -- General George S. Patton

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." -- General Colin Powell

Enthusiasm is contagious.
You could start an epidemic!

You can keep going long after you can't.

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be; because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want in life.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."  -- Mark Twain

Sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.

Life sometimes gives you a second chance.

Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.

Motivation is very important, but it is determination that will make you cross the highest mountain and most difficult river."  -- Nelson Mandela, Former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner.

You can only go as far as you push.

Life is what's coming...not what was.

"Sweat plus sacrifice equals success." -- Charlie Finley

"Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates." -- Magic Johnson"

"A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are." -- Ara Parashegian

In the heat of an intense conflict, silence is golden. Words often hurt unintentionally when emotion runs high. We create our own sign language to communicate and redirect our energy. A squeeze of hand, a specially named hug, or a change of seating help both parent and child to cool down and regain self-control.

Listen and share with other parents of spirited kids! DON’T let parents of “easy” children make you feel inadequate or guilty, as if you had done something wrong to make your child what he/she is. They do not and cannot understand, nor should you expect them to. Do what you feel in your heart to be right for you and your child … and when you’re not sure what that is, take it one step at a time and it will come to you! Enjoy your unconventional child in unconventional ways – free yourselves to be yourselves, and pooh on what anyone else thinks!

First take a deep breath and then really listen to the words of your little one...they will reveal so much about who they are and how they really feel, and it will make them feel so important...because they are!

*Trust* your child to communicate their needs (whether obviously or subtly), and *trust* in your gut feelings as a parent. Believe in yourself, your ability to parent your child, and in your intuition.

Give your children warm and loving roots so they always know you love them, but raise them and yourself, for the time they fly away...it will make them better people out into the world, and help you settle your aching heart when they go.

Listen to your heart and go with your gut. 

Always try to look at the world through your child's eyes.

Get as close as you can - the more connected you are to your child, the more secure they feel and the easier it is to smooth over the rough spots.

YOU are your child's best advocate and it's important to do your best job at it (as well as being the best parent)!

Parent by the Golden Rule: treat them as you would want to be treated...put yourself in their shoes before you make decisions etc.

Respect them as much as you would like them to respect you.

Don't sweat the small stuff, children are born with their temperament.

Follow your instincts ... you know your child!!!

Always remember their age and how fleeting it is.......remember they are still just soooo young, and treat them accordingly.

All of us as parents have the ideal in our minds, what our child is going to be like...our ideal child. Many of us, like myself, have that dream shattered with the birth of our child. But most parents have to learn to let that dream go as the years pass. Your son has know shown you he is not your ideal child, and if you keep hanging on to that, you will be disappointed in him and yourself. Let him be who he is, love him for who HE IS, not for what you imagine you want him to be. Once you start doing that, you will enjoy life with him more, appreciate him more. Begin to concentrate on him positives (my words...of which he has many.

Choose your battles!

Laughter is important.  When things are mounting, and I see myself reaching the limit, I try and look at things differently and sometimes I do find the humor in the situation.  :Like trying to get my daughter dressed and ready to get out the door.  Often her socks need to be turned inside out, as the stitching bothers her, or she needs to wear a different coat, boots, whatever, as the one she just wore for days will bother her that day.  It can annoy you...yet, if you see the humor and truly laugh with your child, it eases the stress and it interrupts the moment to allow you to go on more easily with the task at hand.

Always remember that the challenging personality traits you are living with will be great strengths when your children are adults.  Can you imagine Robin Williams as a child??  When my determined and intensely passionate children are sending me up the wall, I think of all that they'll be able to do in life.  Not only am I comforted, but I am so proud of them and grateful for their special, spirited natures!

Whoever came up with the term "Terrible Twos" did not have a three year old!

It all Started with a simple question, and a creative yet wise answer.
Why are those who dance, thought mad by those who hear not the music?
The answer:
For it is we the dancers that Gods have bestowed their greatest gifts upon.
The knowledge, the courage, the wisdom, to be ourselves.
Regardless of the opinions and judgments of the multitudes who hear not the music.
Hiding behind the petty masks of falsehoods and hypocrisies.
Never knowing the joys of being at peace within.

Pack a bag or backpack and carry it everywhere. As your child grows, the contents will change. Snacks, toys, books, a small blanket. The bag is essential for going anywhere with a spirited child.

Keep small candies in the car, in your purse or in your child's bag at all times. Our family rarely eats candy but we beat the inevitable "candy fight" at the store by have small candies already available for when the issue comes up. My favorites are Pez, safety suckers or Dum Dum suckers.

The times when I've lost my temper the most are when I was worried about what other people would think.  I was more concerned and embarrassed about their impression of us than in the feelings of my child, which I think stems from my own self-worth wound.  In realizing this, I'm better able to bypass that wound and do what's best for my child and me.

Talk to people you have never talked to before,
and actually listen,
let yourself fall in love,
break free and set your sights high.

You can make of your life anything you wish.
Create your own life and then go out and live it.

Excellence can be obtained if you:
...care more than others think is wise;
...risk more than others think is safe;
...dream more than others think is practical;
...expect more than others think is possible

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 to whom you open your heart.

If someone loves you,
love them back unconditionally,
not only because they love you,
but because they are teaching you to love
and opening your heart and eyes to things
you would have never seen or felt without them.

Make every day count.
Appreciate every moment
and take from it everything that you possibly can,
for you may never be able to experience it again.

Everything Happens For A Reason
Sometimes people come into your life
and you know right away that they were meant to be there,
they serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson
or help figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be;
your roommate, your neighbor, professor, long lost friend, lover
or even a complete stranger who, when you lock eyes with them,
you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you
and at the time they seem horrible, painful and unfair,
but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles
you would never have realized your potential, strength, will power of heart.

Everything happens for a reason.
Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck.
Illness, injury, love, lost moments or true greatness and sheer stupidity
all occur to test the limits of the soul. Without these small tests,
if they be events, illnesses or relationships,
life would be like a smooth paved, straight, flat road to nowhere.
Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life and successes and downfalls you experience,
they are the ones who create who you are.
Even the bad experience can be learned from...
Those lessons are the hardest and probably the most important ones.