JD LeJeune

Daily Wisdom from CoffeyTalk.com

“King Henry: Presume not that I am the thing I was; For God doth know, so shall the world perceive, That I have turn’d away my former self.” -Shakespeare (1564-1616) Henry IV, 1597

I like this because Shakespeare says here “I have made the choice- I have chosen to change” - and that is such a powerful statement. We always have that choice. We can always “reinvent” ourselves. And when we mean it, it works! There are a lot of people in the media who are examples of this – the former “loose image” actress turned mother and Sunday school teacher – the former rock-n-roller who is now a gospel singer. Part of this is knowing who we are – and understanding that how the world perceives us, how we present ourselves, is totally up to us. - Lissa Coffey

Timely: The past few weeks I have been emerging myself in the science of things. Why things are as they are. Why I am as I am…vague enough for ya? I’ve learned some profound things and it’s time to start practicing them more conciously. I’m ready. Time to leap!

Daily Wisdom from CoffeyTalk.com

“What we learn to do, we learn by doing.” -Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

Our topic this week is learning. There’s a difference between theory and practice. We may know how to meditate – all the technical points and benefits of meditation that we hear so much about. But until we actually meditate ourselves, we haven’t really learned anything about it! On one episode of the TV comedy “Frasier,” Frasier and his brother were trying to learn how to ride a bike by reading a book. Now we know how silly that is! And yet, that’s the same kind of thing we often do in our spiritual practices. We read about prayer, and chanting, and mantras – but to really “get it” we’ve got to do it! -Lissa Coffey

Daily Wisdom from CoffeyTalk.com

“Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way; But to act, that each tomorrow Find us farther than today.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

This is from my favorite poem, “The Psalm of Life” which starts “Lives of great men remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and departing leave behind us, footprints in the sands of time.” It’s about following the examples laid before us, and at the same time, making our own way – becoming a new example, a new light to guide others. Longfellow understood that we need to keep going, to keep pursuing our spiritual growth, because that is our ultimate purpose. - Lissa Coffey

Daily Wisdom from CoffeyTalk.com

“The dew of compassion is a tear.” -George Gordon Noel Byron (1788-1824)

Compassion carries with it emotion. We feel it in our hearts. Compassion spurs us to action. It shows us the best of who we are, it allows us to move past our own issues and focus on the contribution we can make to our fellow human beings. -Lissa Coffey

Daily Wisdom from CoffeyTalk.com

“If I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself.” -D.L. Moody (1837-1899)

There are things we can work on, and things we really have no control over. When we work on ourselves, the rest seems to fall into place. It’s the “reap what you sow” factor taken to another level. It’s the “ripple effect” that we can’t always see because we’re right in the middle of it. -Lissa Coffey