Tag Archives: anxiety

How do you know it’s a good thing?

Posted on September 17, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old Chinese legend of a farmer whose horse escaped. But he just shrugged and said “How do you know this is a bad thing?” Later his horse returned with a herd of wild horses, and the old man … Continue reading →

Posted in Accepting, Attitude, Faith, God, God with us, Life's journey, Luck, Positive Thoughts | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Give me back my songs

Posted on September 11, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The French have a story about a wealthy man who spent his days counting his gold. Next door was a poor cobbler who spent his days singing as he repaired shoes. The joyful singing irritated the rich man, so he … Continue reading →

Posted in Joy, Life, Life's journey, Materialism, Misery, Money, Music of life, Possessions, Sleeplessness, wealth, Worry | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lost forever

Posted on September 3, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

When the American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar died, his mother opened his home in Dayton, Ohio, to the public, so that people from all walks of life could come experience his life, even though he was no longer alive. She … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Living Life, Memorials, Mourning, Shrines | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

If you’re happy and you know it…

Posted on August 29, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Dictionaries often define the word ‘happy’ as ‘lucky’ or ‘fortunate’. But there’s another definition that describes it as ‘the capacity for enjoyment.’ I like that because I’ve long believed that it’s not how much we have that makes us happy, … Continue reading →

Posted in Attitude, enjoyment, Happiness, perception | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

There’s more to life than being indispensable.

Posted on August 19, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

One of the best things my old Dad taught me was not to take myself too seriously; as this little poem says: Sometime, when you’re feeling important, Sometime, when your ego’s in bloom. Sometime, when you take it for granted … Continue reading →

Posted in Feeling Indispensible, Life's journey, Self Destruction, Taking self too seriously | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

We are the way we think

Posted on August 19, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The eminent philosopher William James, believed that of all the marvellous discoveries of the modern world the greatest was that people can change their lives by changing their attitudes. We are the way we think, and I am the only … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Fear, Positive Thoughts, Renewed Minds, Spiritual Insight, Transformation, Wisdom | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Beauty sleep

Posted on August 3, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Do you know that we spend a third of our lives having no idea of what we are doing? It’s when we are sleeping. We don’t really understand why we sleep except that, if deprived of it for just ten … Continue reading →

Posted in Peaceful Sleep, Rest, Sleep, Sleeplessness | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Disappointed, discouraged, defeated?

Posted on July 13, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

I have a friend who has spent most of his life working with people in distress. He has a motto based on some words from the Bible that say: “We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Defeated, Disappointed, Discouraged, Faith, God, God with us, Hope, Love of Christ, Trials and testings | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Paradise Lost

Posted on June 15, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Years ago there was a place I used to visit occasionally that seemed like paradise to me. I used to daydream about what it would be like to live and work there. Then, some years later, an opportunity came to … Continue reading →

Posted in Conflict, Heaven, Hell, Life, Life's journey, Paradise, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Queen’s Commission

Posted on June 15, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

When I became an Army chaplain I felt embarrassed that I’d been given the Queen’s Commission without having gone through the same long and gruelling military process that general service officers went through to earn theirs. Eventually it was a … Continue reading →

Posted in Accepting, Faith, Gift of God, God, Grace, Works | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment