The beginning of a new year is often a good time for reflection.
Reflection on where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are headed. While none of us can say with any degree of certainty what 2017 will bring, we can say with all certainty God is still on his throne. He is in control. Everything and everyone is under him. Nothing happens God did not plan or permit. He is Sovereign. He is God and we are not.
In cleaning up my home office and going through old papers, I discovered several beautiful quotes from poet Maya Angelou I would like to share as we begin this new year.
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
“A woman’s heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.”
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”
“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”
“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.”
“Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.”
“Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.”
“When you learn, teach, when you get, give.”
“I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.”
“I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.”
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.”
“Living well is an art that can be developed: a love of life and ability to take great pleasure from small offerings and assurance that the world owes you nothing and that every gift is exactly that, a gift.”
“While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God’s creation.”
“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.”
“We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”
Which of Maya Angelou’s quotes resonates with you the most?
Happy New Year, and may 2017 be your best year, yet.
I wish you well.
Sandy Quandt
Just beautiful! Thanking God for using you mightily.
Hi Shirley. Thank you for your encouraging comment. May God be praised!