inspirational quote

October 1, 2013 by Donna Thornton Leave a Comment

The Light is One | Inspirational Quotes

I have spent many years in my life collecting inspirational quotes and sayings. I have a collection that surpasses many, I believe. But now, with the internet, inspirational quotes are just a few keystrokes away at any given moment.

I remember reading Rumi quotes long before they were able to be found everywhere. I studied Eastern religion and I have always been an avid fan of J.D. Salinger (he quotes a lot of Eastern poets and philosophers in his books). There is really just something about Rumi that touches our hearts. The quote that is the subject of this post is no different. It goes straight to the heart and the truth of things. It is the embodiment of divine inspiration, if you will.

“The candles are many but the light is one.” This expresses exactly what I see as being the human experience, the human truth. As humans, we are each a candle unto ourselves, but the light that emanates from us is from the same source, and in fact, is the same light.

Whatever name you have for the creative energy that is responsible for our existence on this planet, I believe that is the source of this light. Some force of energy created us, and that same force holds us together. When we look inside of our hearts, or our soul, or our spirit, or whatever we see as what gives us breath, we can see a light. I ask you to look at this light right now. Is it big? Is it small? Is it steady or does it flicker? Whatever it looks like, expand it out… watch it grow. See how big you can make it.

This is, in my experience, the very light of the Creator, the Universe… God, if you like. This is the light that animates us. This is the light that gives us breath. It is where we came from and it is where we will return to.

And yes. We are individuals. We are here in this human form so that we can experience this individuality. But that does not mean that we are not all one light. We are many candles… but the light is one.

I love this quote. It really is inspirational. It reminds me of who I really am. I hope it reminds you of who you really are, too… and inspires you to shine your light a little bigger and a little brighter every day.

May 9, 2013 by Donna Thornton Leave a Comment

Accept Your Humanness | Inspirational Quotes and Sayings

I pick inspirational quotes and sayings to share by the way they resonate with me. I have collected quotes and sayings throughout my whole life because reading them and/or thinking about them has helped me to understand something, or heal a part of my trauma or pain.

This inspirational quote crossed my path not that long ago. It was very interesting because I had just been made aware of a spirit guide who identified himself to me as Emmanuel… and then, not too long after that, I was looking around on the internet when I saw this quote, and it is attributed to EMMANUEL! I knew this one was meant for me! (I do believe our angels and guides communicate with us in many ways… including through inspirational quotes and sayings, songs, poetry and randomly through the internet, as well as the people around us!)

So, I truly find this saying to be something I need to embrace. For a long time in my early life I didn’t really like to be on this planet… I didn’t understand why I was here, and being in this human body can truly be painful sometimes – and I really didn’t like that. Eventually, I came to truly understand myself as a spiritual being having a human experience… and that is where I first began to love myself. I could love my spirit, my soul… I could love what I saw when the angels showed me how I look to them.

But… even with that understanding, I have sometimes struggled to love my human form… this body that my spirit is occupying. So, I was able to love my divinity, but not my humanness! And just as I came to this realization, this inspirational quote crossed my path! So… I couldn’t resist but make this graphic for it, so that I could have something lovely to remind myself that I WANT to love my humanness… and hopefully to help me get there… without reserve!

I chose this picture because of the reflection… I sometimes see our body and our soul like this… one aspect reflecting the other.

May 5, 2013 by Donna Thornton Leave a Comment

The Child Must Know He is a Miracle | Inspirational Quotes and Sayings.

I absolutely think this is one of the very best inspirational quotes! I picked this one up so many years ago… and I believe it has informed my parenting as well as my whole philosophy around raising children. It was also always in the back of mind when I was teaching and advocating for children with special needs and their families.

The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.” – Pablo Casals

I have spent a good deal of my adult life raising children. I have some incredible kids that I have have had a hand in raising. I also gave birth to one pretty amazing kid… TWENTY years ago! My son is 20 today. It is really hard for me to believe! It really does seem to be just yesterday when he wasn’t sleeping through the night… when he was toddling around… when he went to school for the first time… when he learned to read… when he started dating… when he graduated from high school… When he moved into his own apartment.

I have spent the last twenty years incredibly happy, sad, worried, delighted, excited, anxious, scared, completely full of joy… and totally in love.

These days, I spend time missing my son… I don’t get to see him as often as I would like… he’s got his own life… a job, a girlfriend… stuff to do. And soon, he’ll be moving much farther away than he is now. When that happens, I think I’ll truly know the sadness of the “empty nest syndrome!” But, it’s okay. He’s doing what he is supposed to do… growing up.

When my boys were little, I used to be so scared when they would climb on things… playground equipment, rocks, etc… I knew that they had to do those things – they had to do these things as a part of their developmental process. So, I used to turn around. I couldn’t watch! I was still right there, but I just couldn’t watch – or I probably would have stopped them from doing those things. Now… my son is getting ready to move out of state… and basically, I just can’t watch! I know he needs to do these things, and I know he’ll be just fine… but if I watch, I might try to stop him… and I know that would be a mistake.

Anyway… I love this inspirational quote because it says something so important. Our children ARE miracles. We MUST do whatever we can to make sure that they know this too! My son is becoming a wonderful adult… and I’m so proud of him. I hope I have done a good job of letting him know that… and making sure he knows what a miracle he really is – Happy Birthday to my miracle! I hope he knows that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.

May 3, 2013 by Donna Thornton Leave a Comment

Leave Room for Wisdom | Inspirational Quotes and Sayings

I’ve decided to get myself a little bit more organized. So, I was searching around on the internet for a daily “to-do” list form – something that could help me focus in a little better on what I need to get done each day. I found this great sheet that has all kinds of little places to write things… including getting stuff done and even a place to track how much water I drink (love this feature!). I really think this sheet will help me stay on track! What I really love about it, though, is there is this place for you to write your daily inspiration, motivation or encouragement… and for me it is a no brainer to use this as a place to write down inspirational quotes and sayings!

Here’s the quote I wrote down for today:

“There is little room left for wisdom when one is filled with judgment.” ~ Malcolm Hein

In some ways this quote seems a little hard-edged… at least to me. I mean, a person reading this might think I was judging them for being judgmental! But that isn’t why I picked this quote. I mean, really… we’re human, after all. That is kind of a function of our ego. I think we should continuously work towards putting aside that function, but the reality is, we aren’t going to escape it – not entirely. And sometimes, we really need to rely on our ability to make judgments. We may prefer to call that discernment, but it is only through our ability to make judgments that we can discern what we want to let into our lives and what we draw boundaries against. That’s healthy.

So, what was I thinking then. How is this an inspirational quote? Well, I wrote it on my to-do list because I want to remember to mind my own business each day. I strive to not sit in a place of judgment of my fellow human beings. Each person has their own struggles, and I know, in my heart of hearts, that each person truly is doing the best they can. Whether I agree with what they are doing, or whether I could get behind what they are doing, or whether I think it is wrong or right… It really isn’t my business. I think I can accomplish more towards my own goals and my own vision and dreams (and gain more wisdom) if I stay focused on myself. And if I have compassion and strive to love others, I can live a happier and more joy-filled life.

But there is another reason I chose this quote to add to my inspirational quotes and sayings list… because I want to remind myself to not be so harsh on myself… to quit being so judgmental of myself. I’m not perfect. And I can’t be. I can only do what I can do each day. I can only set my goals and do what I can each day to move closer to completing them. And I just have to be gentle with myself. When I judge myself, I not only don’t leave room for wisdom, I don’t leave room for me.

So, I hope you will take this for what it is… my pick to post for today in the Inspirational Quotes and Sayings category. Just a gentle reminder to not be so harsh on ourselves, or on others… to leave room for wisdom… and leave room to just be.

Blessings!