Easier said than done

Before doing anything, pray and think: would this be wise and pleasing to God?

This quote is from St. Nikon and can be found in Living Without Hypocrisy: Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina, Holy Trinity Monastery.

Beware which wolf you feed

I clipped this out of the newspaper several years ago and have it hanging on the side of my fridge.

As the legend goes, one evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said:

"My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

"The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought for a moment and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee replied simply, "The one you feed."

Solid advice from my mother

If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all

Good news for tree huggers

For one who has acquired the love and habit of examining his surroundings, life in nature is beneficial; it saves him from petty, one-sided thinking and imparts to him a broader vision, integrity and depth.

This quote is from St. Barsanuphius (yet another Holy Elder of Optina) and can be found in Living Without Hypocrisy: Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina, Holy Trinity Monastery.

That's one smart cookie!

I always get the most interesting fortunes from my local Chinese eatery!

Suspicion, Consumer of Peace

Oh is this so true! Suspicion can eat away your peace and make you crazy!

Flee from suspicion like fire, for with it the enemy of the human race catches people in his net and strives to present everything in a distorted appearance - white is black and black is white, as he did in Paradise with our ancestors Adam and Eve.

This quote is from St. Ambrose and can also be found in Living Without Hypocrisy: Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina, Holy Trinity Monastery.

A thought about happiness

This is from St. Macarius who was (is!) one of the Holy Elders of Optina:

A life spent with an unreproaching conscience and with humility brings peace, traquility, and true happiness. But wealth, honor, glory and high rank are often the cause of many sins and make this happiness uncertain.

This spiritual counsel is from a fabulous little book called Living Without Hypocrisy: Spiritual Counsels of the Holy Elders of Optina. It was published (and can be purchased) from the Holy Trinity Monastery bookstore.

A choice to be made

If only I could remember this every time I decided to open my mouth or touch a keyboard.

We will have to give an answer for the kind of life we have led. We will give an answer as to how we used the energy that was given us. This energy is Divine Energy and Divine strength...We will have to answer for how we have helped in this life. Have we helped by disseminating peace and harmony in the universe, or have we contributed to the existing chaos? For this reason we must always strive to perfect our thoughts.

- From "Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica" St. Herman Press