So, I opened up one of my quote books tonight and decided I would blog the first quote I came to. Only thing is, although it's a neat quote, I don't quite know what to say about it. Hmm...let's just see where my thoughs go. Today's quote comes from the last few pages of Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

On the second day, a sail drew near, nearer, and picked me up at last. It was the devious-cruising Rachel, that in her retracing search after her missing children, only found another orphan.

It's been awhile since I read Moby Dick and I don't remember all the details of why the Rachel was cruising back and forth or who the crew was looking for. I do remember, though, the chills that came over me when I read that line in the book.

Ishmael had just come through this huge traumatic experience and was the only one who survived. Imagine how welcoming that boat looked to Ishmael. About a year ago now I read a book entitled In the Heart of the Sea: the Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, which was Melville's inspiration for Moby Dick. In case you are unfamiliar with that book, it is the true story of a ship attacked by a whale and how 8 men survived on the open sea for around 93 days before they were rescued. Have you ever felt like you were adrift in the ocean and no sign of rescue or relief was in sight?

In the past few days I've had my eyes open about fragile life can be. Every time I talk with my grandma I'm reminded that she will probably go home sooner rather than later. I've also seen health changes in my parents which remind me that, although they are healthy now, they won't be around forever. Then just today someone pointed me to a blog being written by a father who's son is in the early stages of recovery after an almost fatal accident.

For me these things serve as a gentle (and sometimes not-so-gentle) reminder that I need to spend my time speaking uplifting words to the people I see every day. I also need to tell my family "I love you" more often. And I need to start doing these things today. After all, we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

At the end of Moby Dick, Ishmael is completely alone, but he is rescued by another boat. We all have a chance to pick each other up. If the Rachel had left Ishmael behind, he almost certainly would not have survived. Think how great the world would be if we spent our time picking each other up instead of ignoring the needs around us. Do you know someone who needs picking up? If so, I challenge you to pick them up. Don't leave them out there alone in the ocean of life.

For whom the Taco Bell Tolls

Here's a great quote I found in the book Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis:

"Ask not for whom the Taco Bell tolls , it tolls for thee."

It's said by the character Dontay who is looking for a quick buck. During a rather wild storm he notices that tiles are blowing off the roof of the near-by Taco Bell. So, he convinces his friend to come down to the Taco Bell and hit him with a tile. He is then going to go to a lawyer he saw on t.v. and try to sue Taco Bell. Well, needless to say their plan backfires and fails big time. It did make for a humorous scene in the book though.

Have you also noticed that we seem to live in an ever more litigious society? I miss the days when people would simply say, "I'm sorry" and "Apology accepted." Now it seems like many people are out for a quick buck wherever they can get it. I can think of at least two people who were taken to court when they were completely not at fault. It's just that the other people involved wanted to get as much money as possible from whoever they could.

Then too, it seems like no one wants to take responsibility for their own actions. At my place of employment we hear all sorts of excuses and explanations. Makes me just want to say, "Just admit you're at fault and make amends." I can't say I don't make excuses and such. I know I'm just as guilty as the people I see every day. Still though, we wonder why kids these days don't have a humble spirit. Perhaps it's time to look at the example we are setting. Do we model taking responsibility for our actions, or do we shift the blame to someone else and hope no one will notice?

Okay, I'll climb down off my soapbox now. Thanks for sticking with me through all my ramblings.

Cheers
:)

Finally, I have new quotes

I know it's been a long time since I've updated here. There are a couple of reasons I've not been around. For one thing, there have been many things going on in my life - job changes for my husband, new cars, and a crazy work schedule. Second of all, I was running out of quotes to choose from. Now that I've had a chance to do a bunch more reading, I've got more quotes to choose from. Hopefully this means I'll be updating more often.

I found the following quote in the book Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke. I don't have any profound thoughts to go along with it, just thought the author used beautiful language. So, here it is:

"She wore a gown the colour of storms, shadows, and rain and a necklace of broken promises and regrets."

Jonathan Strange is Susannah Clarke's first book and I hope she has another in the works because this one was a great book. Until next time, then...

Have a great week.

New Thoughts Coming Soon

Boy, it has been awhile since I updated, hasn't it? The reason for that is I sort of ran out of quotes. I have a ton of quotes, but some of them I took from books I read a way long time ago when I was a different person than I am now. Long story short, the quotes are no longer "me," so I don't share them here for fear of shocking those who know me in real life, lol!

Fear not, though, I've been doing quite a bit of reading and "quote hunting" lately and have come up with some good ones that have really made me think. In the mean time, here is a great quote site I came across while doing some Google searches tonight. The quotes about teenagers are particularly interesting and funny.

See you back here soon!

Life Lessons

I like to quote people. Specifically characters from books, hence, this blog. I kind of like to hope sometimes, though, that someday I'll say something inspirational that people will take to heart and maybe tell to others. This may or may not be it, but here goes:

"Everybody needs a Laurie in their life...and a Sam too."

Now you're probably scratching your head and saying, "Huh? Juli, I think you've lost it." Seriously though, everybody needs a Laurie in their life...and a Sam too. Let me explain.

I have a co-worker named Laurie and I have another friend also named Laurie. These two ladies have taught me so much about myself - who and what I want to be. They have both inspired me, made me laugh, and shared with me words of wisdom that have stuck with me and changed my life. God has used both of these ladies in big ways in my life. I'm sure they will never know how instrumental they have been in my life because I'm not sure I could ever find the words to tell them. Still, I would not be who I am today if it weren't for each of their influences.

"Okay," you're probably saying, "but what's with the part about 'a Sam too'?" I'm referring to the character of Sam from the Lord of the Rings movies and books. Sam stuck with Frodo on his journey. He walked beside Frodo to keep him company. He walked behind Frodo to give him support and at the end of the movie (not finished with the books, so can't speak to those) Sam helped Frodo in his struggle to the top of the mountain. True, there were others who shared Frodo's journey or carried out tasks elsewhere that gave Frodo time to complete his journey and carry out his task, but Sam is the one who stuck by him through the whole quest and never (or almost never) left his side. (click here for more thoughts on Lord of the Rings )

My husband is my Sam. Everytime I'm convinced I can't do something, he's always there to tell me "Yes you can." Without him, I'm sure there are many things on which I would have given up. I'm curious, are you, like me, lucky enough to have a Laurie (or two) in your life...and a Sam too?