I can always remember something that hung on
the wall of our dining room at home. It was something
that was very precious to Mama. She lived by
it. Her life proved it. And when Mama went home
to Glory, there were several things because of
their wonderful memories. And because they meant
much to Mama, I brought back with me. Among them
was this little something that always hung on
our wall in the dining room. I took it from out
of its frame. I have it before me now. It's called
Guideposts to Success. Years have passed. since
I was a little girl, and it was placed on that
dining room wall. I have lived, I have experienced.
Years have made changes in my life. But today,
I appreciate the words of that which meant much
to Mama. More than I have ever appreciated these
words before in all of my life. Go out of the
way to please others. Determine to be kind and
helpful to everyone. Be truthful and optimistic
no matter what happens. Make a great... Effort
always to give everybody a lift whenever possible.
To make everybody you come in contact with just
a little better off for that contact. To radiate
sunshine, cure hope, goodwill, and to scatter
flowers as you go along the way. To enjoy each
day. To live the present to its utmost and not
to wait. for tomorrow before you begin to enjoy.
This it is that opens wide the door to happiness.
You must believe in a religion of love. Love
for everybody and everywhere. The rich and the
poor. The well and the afflicted. That is the
religion of love. It satisfies the heart. It
is deep enough for the soul and broad enough
for the whole world and everybody in it. Arise
in the morning with a blessing on your lips and
in your soul for every living thing. Be glad
that you're alive. and able to enjoy all that
is beautiful and good. For remember, you passed
through this world but once, and any kindness
that you can show to any human being, do it now.
Don't defer from it. Be thankful for each day,
and get out of it all the good that you can,
and put into that day, all the good possible.
Learn to help bear the burdens of others without
burdening them with yours. Learn enough of sorrow
to be able to sympathize. Be happy. That's what
makes life worth living. Laugh. Love. And give,
for there'll come a time when you can't. Keep
your face always towards the sunshine, and remember,
the shadows will fall behind. In other words,
live each day as though it were your very last
day on Earth. Make this your philosophy of life,
the symphony of your soul, and life will be sweeter
in every way. This is what I took from out of
its frame and brought with me when Mama left
to go home to glory. This. was my mama's philosophy.
This was my mother's guidepost to success. As
her daughter, I too have adopted it. It works.
For remember, life is so short. Oh, it's so short.
Time is so limited, and there's so much to do,
for there are so many who need our help. I would
ask for the gift of conviction, to feel those
things that now I only know. I would ask for
the gift of remembrance, To be always conscious
of how much I owe to others. Especially to God.
I would ask for the gift of softness of heart.
Oh, it's so hard in these days to become calloused.
To become... unsympathetic. I shall ask that
my heart shall not become hard. I would rather
be a pushover than a cynic. I would ask for the
gift of suffering. For you see, When I suffer
and I have had the experience of a broken heart
and I have gone to the valley of weeping, then
I am touched by the suffering of another. I have
a greater understanding in their hour of grief.
You cannot give to another unless... you too
have experienced. I will not shrink from suffering,
for it will make me a better person, a person
of greater understanding. I would ask for the
gift of sight to see those good things that Now
I miss because they're so close to me. So many
things that I take for granted every day of my
life. They're so near to me. So close to me.
I have missed the true values of life. My eyesight
is so dim. that sometimes I miss seeing the things
that are most important to me. And sometimes
I get my eyes on things that are among to so
little. Yes, I would pray for the gift of sight.
I want to see those little... of things that
others forget and do not see. It may be a tear
on a baby's cheek. It may be the little bruised
toe. A little foot that needs a pair of shoes.
Let me see the burden of that heart. behind the
smile on somebody's face for i've learned a long
time ago that the greatest burdens are carried
by the folk who wear the sweetest smiles i would
ask for the gift of song to fling toward the
sky the music in my heart I want to sing when
the night is dark. Let me sing when the stars
are no longer in the sky. I want to sing when
my own heart breaks. Because if I can sing in
my own sorrow, it may help to put a song in another
heart. It may put a melody on the lips of someone
whose burden is almost too heavy to bear. I would
ask for the gift of penetration to live in the
depths as well as on the surface. Oh, beloved,
it's in the depths. that real character is made.
I don't want to live a surface life. I don't
want to be a shallow person. I want to be deep
in my thinking. I want to live in the depths
where I can feel Feel the sorrow of others. I
can feel the nearness of my master. Lead of his
spirit. For these things are never experienced
by living only on the surface. I would ask for
the gift of charity. To love. And love. And love
again. I want a fresh baptism of love. I represent
him. Not myself. I represent him, the one who
is love. And in representing him, I must love,
not as the world loves, not a shallow love, not
a selfish love, not with a love that asks in
return something else of my fellow men. Let me
love without a selfish motive. Love enough to
forget the failures of my fellow men. Love enough
to overlook their ugliness, their bruises. Love
enough until the influence of my life is felt
by them. It's then only that I am able to talk
to them. about the one who loved me enough to
give his life for me. Until that sinner feels
my love, my sermons will never touch him. I will
mean nothing to him as a minister. I must love
first. And then he'll feel my influence. As a
Christian, I want to love until I can forget
any hurt or any wrongdoing toward me. When I
love enough, I can always forgive. I would ask
for the gift of identity, always to be myself,
always. I must be myself. I must be me. I must
be true to my conviction. Yes, the gift of identity,
since I am the image of God. I would ask for
the gift of perspective, to be wise enough to
see how little I really know, and to be large
enough, to be big enough, to see how small I
really am. And finally, I would ask for the grace
to know when a gift is given. to hold on to it,
use it, and then look up and say, Thank you,
Heavenly Father, for Thou alone is the giver
of every good and perfect gift. This day I give
myself to Him with perfect confidence, knowing
He'll Take care of you and me.