Brain Food






“Change your thoughts, and you change your world.”

- Norman Vincent Peale -



Tuesday, December 17, 2013

“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” Raymond Lindquist


Video from KarmaTube


“Your belief determines your action and your action determines

Your results, but first you have to believe.”


Mark Victor Hansen




A film by Our Better World.
Video from KarmaTube

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, But you can decide not to be reduced by them.” Maya Angelou


“Everything that happens to you is a 
reflection of what you believe about yourself.
We cannot outperform our level of self-esteem.
We cannot draw to ourselves more than we think we are worth.” 


Iyanla Vanzant



Video from KarmaTube

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Mom's 70th Surprise Birthday Party - Sept 24, 2013 Hillsborough, NC

“The journey is the reward.”


Proverb





“Don’t miss all the beautiful colors of the
Rainbow looking for that pot of gold.”






“Kindness is the language which the deaf

Can hear and the blind can see.”

Mark Twain





The Boykin’s & The Lee’s
September 24, 2013






The measure of a life, after all,
Is not its duration, but its donation.

Corrie ten Boom 


May God bless you with TEARS…

To shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them,
And to turn their pain into JOY.


And may God bless you with enough FOOLISHNESS…

To believe that you can make a difference in this world.

- A Franciscan Benediction -


Just for Fun -Try the 
Year of “YOUR” Birth    

The screen is going to fade to black; have your
Glasses on, and follow the instructions below.
You'll be pleasantly surprised ...  it is indeed fascinating

Click your cursor in the box marked year of birth
Type the year and then click on the question mark.

Sit back and enjoy!!

Click below...



THE SCREEN MOVES BY ITSELF.


Finally, always remember!
After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.

 Italian Proverb 



Tuesday, August 20, 2013

After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box. - Italian Proverb -

“Don’t wait for your feelings to change to take the action.

Take the action and your feelings will change.”


Barbara Baron





Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Life always waits for some crisis to occur Before revealing itself at its most brilliant.” Paul Coelho

“Sometimes in tragedy we find our life’s purpose.
The eye sheds a tear to find its focus.”


Robert Brault




Video from KarmaTube

It is customary to make a wish on one's birthday. On her sixteenth birthday, nine months after being shot in the head in an assassination attempt by a Taliban gunman in northwest Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai addressed the United Nations Youth Assembly in New York with a wish for universal equality, universal opportunity, and universal education. Once targeted for death because of her outspoken advocacy for her own education and those of other Pashtun girls, she now speaks on behalf of women and children everywhere. Her message is one of fearlessness and hopefulness. It is an inspiring call to justice. 

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Kindness with NO strings attached is Love

“Faith is taking the first step even
When you don’t see the whole staircase.”

Martin Luther King





Tuesday, July 9, 2013

“The lives we lead have everything to do With the questions we ask ourselves.” Lori Deschene

Giving is so often thought of in terms
Of the things we give, but our greatest giving
Is of our time, and kindness, and even comfort
For those who need it. We look on these gifts as
Unimportant - until we need them."


Joyce Sequichie Hifler



Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Service doesn't start when you have something to give; It blossoms naturally when you have nothing left to take. Nipun Mehta

“We are formed and molded by our thoughts.
Those whose minds are shaped by selfless
Thoughts give joy when they speak or act.
Joy follows them like a shadow
That never leaves them.”


Buddha


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

“What we see is mainly what we look for.” Anonymous


“Life is a process of becoming.
A combination of states we have to go through.
Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it.
This is a kind of death.”

Anais Nin






Truly Important - Must Watch!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

“Sometimes the wrong choices bring us to the right places” Unknown


“We are formed and molded by our thoughts.
Those whose minds are shaped by selfless
Thoughts give joy when they speak or act.
Joy follows them like a shadow
That never leaves them.”

Buddha



05/28/13

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

“The poor man is not he who is without A cent, but he who is without a dream.” Harry Kemp


“What we see is mainly what we look for.”

Anonymous





Update 05/21/13

Many of you that know me and my background are aware that my spiritual development arises out of my experience grounded
In the Christian traditions of the black church.

Specifically, the AME tradition.

That being said does not mean I only see life from
this perspective.

I feel I’ve been blessed my entire life, and I’ve
Found that my God & my relationship is the same no matter where I am.

I hope you enjoy the above video.

If you did then be sure and click on this link sent to me by my friend and business associate, Leland Heath: “The Purpose of Life – Part 2.”

You may learn more about her at her web site Heaven & Earth Oasis.


Sam

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

“If you correct your mind, The rest of your life will fall into place.” Lao Tzu


Those who wish to sing, always find a song.

Swedish proverb





Update 05/14/13

Life is good. I ran across a movie called” Money & Life.” You will find it in the Money Section on the right menu. It is worth
your time. Enjoy!


Sam


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

“Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.” Rodin


“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start,
Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”

Carl Bard





Update 04/23/13

I’m back from a three week vacation. The trouble with vacations is you have to work three times as hard to catch up on everything you did not do. I’m no different on this and will hopefully have something to offer next week.

I will call your attention to the health section on the menu to your right. There is a great piece by Gary Null on the “War on Health.”

Then, go to the Life Scriptures section and watch the video on
Sacred Activism.

Again, I thank you for your time.

Sam


Tuesday, April 16, 2013

“It isn’t our position but our disposition that makes us happy” Unknown


“When you judge another, you do not define them. You define yourself.”

Wayne Dyer







Update 04/16/13

As you read this, I am flying back to Los Angeles, CA and perhaps the most gratifying & spiritual vacation I've ever had.

I plan to write something special after I’ve had time to reflect on my super visit with my family.

My brother – in – Law, Alvin Boykin & his wife, Wanda, made a surprise visit to see me and his sister, Priscilla.

I am not usually surprised, but “Bean,” as we call him did in fact pull one off.

I’m so grateful to have a thoughtful & kind family.

Until next week, I thank you for your time.

Sam

Be sure to watch "Grandpa Skywalker."





Tuesday, March 12, 2013

“Peace begins with a smile.” Mother Theresa



“It’s one of the most beautiful compensations of life that
No man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson




A film by Peel District School Board.
Video from KarmaTube

Update 03/12/13

It’s often said: “The apple does not fall far from the tree,” It’s true, as my
Son, John-Joseph Calvin Lee, sent me this email which I’m sharing with you this week. By way of background he majored in history.

I thought this was brilliant:

Hey Dad,

I came across this and thought you would get a kick out of it:

They used to use urine to tan animal skins, so families used to all pee in a pot & then once a day it was taken & Sold to the tannery.......if you had to do this to survive you were "Piss Poor"

But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot......they "didn't have a pot to piss in" & were the lowest of the low

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June.. However, since they were starting to smell. ...... . Brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting Married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water!"

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof... Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, "Dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance-way. Hence: a thresh hold.

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire.. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme: Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old. Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial.. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive... So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

And that's the truth....Now, whoever said History was boring.

Now, you understand why the “Apple does not fall far from the tree.”

Thanks, Son

And as always, I thank you (the reader) for your time.

Sam

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly, Leave the rest to God.


Everything comes to us that belongs to us

If we create the capacity to receive it.


- Rabindranath Tagore -





Video from KarmaTube


Update 02/19/13

I had a very wonderful experience this past weekend – I attended a celebration of life service for a friend who passed at age 91, in San Diego.

Jim Williams lived in the apartment two doors down from Dr. Betty Ann Coats, who nursed me through my treatment for cancer.

I've heard the expression celebration of life before, but in the truest sense of the phrase this really was a celebration. Jim had six children, a bunch of grand kids and a great grand child en route, and THEY showed that their dad had lived a wonderful life. Their actions were uplifting, upbeat, and caring, just like Jim: Proof that the apple does not fall far from the tree.

I found myself saying: “This is how I would like to be remembered!”

It is a rare occasion to attend a going home service and leave feeling better afterwards than you did going in.

Thanks, Jim!

I also added a link this week to my life scriptures section on the menu on your right. I think you’ll find it interesting: “Spiritual but not religious.”

As always, I thank you for your time.

Sam







Tuesday, February 5, 2013

“More important than the quest for certainty is the quest for clarity.” - Francois Gautier -


It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.

- Mother Teresa -







Update 02/05/13

I remember when I was a young child I loved trains. I still do and many memories of train rides with my Uncle Joe and Cousin Betty, who have made the great transition. My friend June sent me this great train ride and I thought I’d share it this week with you.

This is Floyd Cramer at the piano. Wait for the pictures to come on and have your volume on. This is really a beautiful trip. CLICK HERE!

As always, I thank you for your time.

Sam

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” - Gandhi -


“Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun, like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.”

- Fred Rogers -





Update 01/22/13

 

Many of you know I started this weekly adventure so as to not have to send a million emails to inform those who I think have like interest in my esoteric topics of life. In light of that you will understand why I have placed this link here for you to read. It is not a short fly through item, but I think you will find it thoughtful of interest. Click on the link now!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” - Aristotle –


A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person
Lives in a hostile world: everyone you meet is your mirror.

- Ken Keyes Jr.





Update 01/08/13

"Excuse Me, Are You Jesus...?"

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly-missed boarding.

ALL BUT ONE!!! He paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor.

He was glad he did.

The 16-year-old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her; no one stopping and no one to care for her plight.

The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket.

When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?"

She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly."

As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him,

"Mister...." He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes.

She continued, "Are you Jesus?"

He stopped in mid-stride ... and he wondered.

He gently went back and said, "No, I am nothing like Jesus - He is good, kind, caring, loving, and would never have bumped into your display in the first place."

The girl gently nodded: "I only asked because I prayed for Jesus to help me gather the apples. He sent you to help me, so you are like Him - only He knows who will do His will. Thank you for hearing His call, Mister."

Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: "Are you Jesus?"

Do people mistake you for Jesus?

That's our destiny, is it not?

To be so much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace.

If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day .

You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked up you and me on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

Please share this, {IF you feel led to do so}.

Sometimes we just take things for granted, when we really need to be sharing what we know....

Until next week, I thank you for your time.

Sam