Finding my center and leaving it all behind...

That is exactly what I did today as I walked the labyrinth at the Boulders in Carefree, Arizona this morning. It was a wonderful sunny morning. When our hearts become too full, there is only one thing to do. Find the center of our inner labyrinth and leave our pain and suffering behind. I am thankful for this special place in the foothills of Phoenix and for its special power in helping me to find my center.

I believe life is constantly testing us...

for our level of commitment, and life's greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret.
-Anthony Robbins

To achieve the impossible...

one must think the absurd; to look where everyone else has looked, but to see what no one else has seen."
-Unknown

Anger...

doesn't win games.
-Gary Beban

If I could reach up and hold a star for every time...

you've made me smile, the entire evening sky
would be in the palm of my hand.
-Author Unknown

Kindness...

is wisdom.
-Phillip Brantley

People are like stained-glass windows...

They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,
but when the darkness sets in,
their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.
-Elizabeth Kübler-Ross

Each time anyone comes into contact with us...

they must become different and better people
because of having met us.
We must radiate God’s love.
We must know that we have been created for greater things,
not just to be a number in the world,
not just to go for diplomas and degrees,
this work and that work.
We have been created in order to love and to be loved.
Love does not measure. . . it just gives.
-Mother Teresa

Let us give thanks...

for our memories of what has come before and for our visions of what lies ahead.

Life is truly a blessing. I wish each and every one of you good fortune, happiness, love and peace as you continue your sacred journey through life.

A friend...

is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.
-Anonymous

Art...

washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
-Pablo Picasso

The master and the combat...

The aikidô master demanded intensive training but never allowed his pupils to compete with other martial-arts academies. They all complained among themselves but no-one ever had the nerve to bring up the subject in class.

And then one day one of the boys dared to ask: We have dedicated ourselves wholeheartedly to the study of aikidô, but we shall never know whether we are good or bad fighters because we cannot compete with anyone from outside here.

And may you never need to know that - was the master's answer. - He who wants to fight loses his bond with the Universe. Here we study the art of resolving conflicts, not starting them.

Source: Warrior of the Light

True religion is...

real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness.
-Mark Twain

Pencils in the Hand of God

We are all pencils in the hand of God.
-Mother Teresa

Travel is...

fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.
-Mark Twain

Genius and Madness...

There is no great genius free from some tincture of madness.
-Seneca

Courage...

One man with courage is a majority.
-Thomas Jefferson

Faith is...

an oasis in the heart which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking.
-Kahlil Gibran

Keep your faith...

in all beautiful things; in the sun when it is hidden, in the Spring when it is gone.
-Roy R. Gilson

Faith is...

to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.
-St. Augustine

To every disadvantage...

there is a corresponding advantage.
-W. Clement Stone

God brings men...

into deep waters not to drown them, but to cleanse them.
-Aughey

Each day...

comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.
-Ruth Ann Schabacker

Seeing from Egypt

Source: Baciar

Bryce Canyon, Utah

Source: Marv Mickelson Photography

People who wait...

for conditions to be perfect before acting, never act.
-Anonymous

A turn in the road...

is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn.
-Anonymous

Attitude...

-one of lifes choices.
-Anonymous

What the future holds for us...

depends on what we hold for the future. Hardworking "todays" make high-winning "tomorrows."
-Philosopher William E. Haller

Do not follow where the path may lead...

Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail." .....when you look back, it's always the stuff that was most difficult that forced you to rise up and use the gifts you've been given to succeed!! We have what it takes, we've just gotta believe in ourselves!
-Joe Fermano, Positive Attitude Institute

The destiny of man...

is in his own soul.
-Herodotus

He who...

despises himself esteems himself as a self-despiser.
-Susan Sontag

Your problem is...

that you are too busy holding onto your unworthiness.
-Ram Dass

The Snow of November 1950, Martins Ferry, Ohio

Just two months before I entered this world...

Source: Martins Ferry Times Leader

White Christmas, 1954

Click hear and listen. (Turn your computer speakers on.)

Holiday drink for the health-conscious...

Christmas Float

1 can coke or Dr Pepper
3 scoops of ice cream - chocolate or vanilla
4 cherries
2 red and green gum drops
red and green M&M's
whipped cream topping

Put ice cream in cup. pour soda on it. then add the whipped cream,
cherries and candy.

WARNING: Does your doctor know you are considering this?

My grandparents' world...

Source: Weirton Public Library.

This is what my grandparents saw when they shopped on Market Street in downtown Wheeling, WV back in the early 1900s.

Magical downtown moment...

Sterling-Lindner Christmas Tree, 1960s

Source: Cleveland Press Photo Collection

If you grew up in Cleveland, a trip to see the Sterling-Lindner Department Store christmas tree was a definite part of your holiday journey. This is a memorable downtown experience that we have lost and cannot be found at your local Wal-Mart. Revive those memories. They are a part of you.

All leaders...

announce themselves as servants of those they lead.
-Anonymous

Beyond the thinking machine...systems

1. Learn to be comfortable with contradictions. See your own life as a movie.

2. Learn to look at problems as possible opportunities. If you want to improve processes and systems, look in the very places where the problems appear. Use beyond-tangible and beyond-linear ways.

3. Learn to focus on people's "better sides." Use win/win, not win/lose. See the beyond-tangible elements. Make new relationships with beyond-linear reasoning.

4. Pause to look for connections in the "big picture." Things get done in the white space in between.

5. Look for systems and develop an appreciation of them, e.g., anthills, baseball fields, etc. Look for systems everywhere. The effect will be logarithmic.

Source: Bringing the Soul Into the Workplace, Naomi Rose

Noetic...

The word "noetic" comes from the ancient Greek word "nous", for which there is no exact equivalent in English. It refers to "inner knowing," a kind of intuitive consciousness—direct and immediate access to knowledge beyond what is available to our normal senses and the power of reason.

Institute for Noetic Sciences

Friends...

So long as we are loved by others I should say that we are almost indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend.
-Robert Louis Stevenson

Wise men...

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
-Francis Bacon, Sr.

The discovery of truth...

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.
-Galileo Galilei

Love me...

Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. Love me and I may be forced to love you.
-William Arthur Ward

How life seems at times...

.
Source

The trouble...

with the rat-race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.
-Lily Tomlin

The best ideas...

come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.
-David Ogilvy

If there is a soul...

it is a mistake to believe that it is given to us fully created. It is created here, throughout a whole life. And living is nothing else but that long and painful bringing forth.
-Albert Camus

Wow...

.
Source.

From Texas...

.
Source.

Beauty...

.
Source.

Winnie was ahead of his time...

The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.
-Winston Churchill

How we know the future...we don't

There are many methods for predicting the future. For example, you can read horoscopes, tea leaves, tarot cards, or crystal balls. Collectively, these methods are known as "nutty methods." Or you can put well-researched facts into sophisticated computer models, more commonly referred to as "a complete waste of time."
-Scott Adams

Look back, look forward...

A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.
-Robert Heinlein

Future...

We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to live the rest of our lives there.
-Charles F. Kettering

The truth...

of a theory is in your mind, not in your eyes.
-Albert Einstein

The most beautiful things in life...

cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.
-Hellen Keller

Life is...

no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got a hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it onto future generations.
-George Bernard Shaw

Pablo Picasso on Art...

- Art is a lie that makes us realize truth.

- Everything you can imagine is real.

- Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

- Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.

I think of myself as an intelligent...

sensitive human being with the soul of a clown which always forces me to blow it at the most important moments.
-Jim Morrison (The Doors)

Don't walk in front of me...

I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
-Albert Camus

The truth will set you free...

but first it will make you miserable.
-James A. Garfield

Whatever...

you are trying to avoid will not go away until you confront it.
-Anonymous

None are so blind...

as those who will not see.
-Anonymous

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream till the current ends
and dips his wing in the orange suns rays and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
can seldom see through his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.

-Maya Angelou

It is preoccupation...

with possession, more than anything else, that prevents man from living freely and nobly.
-Bertrand Russell

Remember...

that there's a big difference between kneeling down and bending over.
-Frank Zappa

I believe...

that imagination is stronger than knowledge.
That myth is more potent than history.
That dreams are more powerful than facts.
That hope always triumphs over experience.
That laughter is the only cure for grief.
And I believe that love is stronger than death.

Source: Robert Fulghum

Hear The Mountains Calling

Heart of Mine
Hear the Mountains calling
For Peace and
Solitude

Mind of Mine
Hear the Mountains calling
For Insight and
Wisdom

Spirit of Mine
Hear the Mountains calling
For Courage and
Strength

Randy Guess
©1988-2001

TGIF...

That's right...one day closer to the weekend. Get with your weekend attitude. Smile!

In-Bound Flight at Denver International Airport...

Talk about an exhilirating feeling. Wow!

Source

Nell's Mountain, Montana

Click here for an absolutely breath-taking view of Nell's Mountain in Montana in the dead of winter.

How invigorating this must feel...

Source

Lennon on knowing...

People think the Beatles know what's going on. We don't. We're just doing it.
-John Lennon

Listen up...

Dare to be naive.
-R. Buckminster Fuller

Sometimes...

it proves the highest understanding not to understand.
-Baltasar Gracian

If God...

adds another day to our life, let us give thanks for it.
-Marcus Annaeus Seneca

Everyone...

needs help from everyone.
-Bertolt Brecht

Live for others...

the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others.
-John Andrew Holmes

You...

can't be envious and happy at the same time.
-Frank Tyger

Nothing is enough...

to the man for whom enough is too little.
-Epicurus

What have you missed?

For everything you have missed, you have gained something else.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Better...

a little fire to warm us than a great one to burn us.
-Thomas Fuller

Lately, I can really relate to this.

Anonymously Decorated Christmas Tree

Source: Declan McCullagh

Mountain pass near Jerome, Arizona.

Kaibab Forest Snowfall

Source: Kaibab National Forest

Yes, it does snow in Arizona!

St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow

Source: Declan McCullagh

Wow!

Walking on a snowy afternoon...

Source: Gábor Koscsó

This is very good for the soul.

Remember not only to say...

the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
-Benjamin Franklin

India's Temples of Khajuraho

Source: CultureFocus

Meditation...

I shut my eyes in order to see.
-Paul Gauguin

My Halloween Pictures

Just got my photos developed from Halloween. I think I looked pretty good this year. What do you think?

TGIF...

Be kind to yourself and adopt a weekend state of mind early. Do something that makes yourself and another person happy today.

Success...

is a journey and not a destination.
-Ben Sweetland

I remind myself of that often...

Heroes...

We can't all be heroes, because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.
-Will Rogers

And you thought your Mom was in good shape...

Mom showing her stuff...

Source: Portal Mix

Is this your cat when you introduce a new brand of cat food?

Source: John Lund

The butterfly...

counts not months but moments and has time enough.
-Rabindranath Tagore

Your burden in life...

Pray not for lighter burdens, but for stronger backs.
-Theodore Roosevelt

Charity...

In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity.
-Richard Baxter

Try landing this baby on the head of a pin...

Source: C.W. Cook

So, how about a name for this picture...

This really cracks me up...

Ok, so what would you title this picture?

Source: Zyga's Photo Page

History of Michael Jackson's face...Oh my...

Click here and be entertained.

Some guys have all the luck...

I knew this guy in high school. Today he is the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company in Redmond, Washington.

Curve ball for the day...

Don's Grandpa Grappo Marconi

Grandpa started the very first barbershop in Hollerstown in 1932. Unfortunately men were into wearing their hair long back then and Grandpa had to file for personal bankrupcy. He lived in a cave in southern Ohio for 6 years before joining the French Foreign Legion where he served in Dononga, Rebeast, Slambamastan and Robomanuche.

My father was the second of nineteen children. Grandpa's older brother, Guglielmo Marconi, invented the predecessor to the radio. Guglielmo was the black sheep of the family because, as Grandpa used to say: "Il figlio di una femmina ha parlato giù a tutti nella famiglia." (I'll leave this translation to you.)

Grandpa always said: "Il segreto di un lungo e felice vita è un attivo sesso." (The secret of a long and happy life is an active sex life.) The man had a wonderful sense of humor. For that, all of us are thankful.

Finding your Civil War connection...

My great-great grandfather, John C. Barrett fought in the Civil War.

John C. Barrett, Private
184th Regiment, Ohio Infantry

Organized at Camp Chase, Ohio, and mustered in February 21, 1865. Left State for Nashville, Tenn., February 21; thence moved to Chattanooga and to Bridgeport, Ala., March 21. Guard railroad bridge over Tennessee River at Bridgeport, Ala., also railroad between Bridgeport, Ala., and Chattanooga, Tenn., with frequent skirmishing with Rebel Cavalry and guerrillas, March 21 to July 25. Garrison duty at Edgefield, Tenn., July 25 to September 20, 1865. Mustered out September 20, and discharged at Camp Chase, Ohio, September 27, 1865. Regiment lost during service 1 Enlisted man killed and 1 Officer and 58 Enlisted men by disease. Total 60.

Source: Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database

Did you have a relative in the Civil War? You can locate that relative using this search engine.

Ohio Civil War Memories

Camp Anderson, Civil War Camp, Baltimore, Ohio

Source: Ohio Exploration Society

Ancient echoes

Source: Ohio Exploration Society (Cool Site!)

Shrum Mound is located in Campbell Park on the west side of Columbus along McKinley Avenue, it is one of the last remaining conical burial mounds in Columbus. Believed to have been built nearly 2,000 years ago by the Adena people, it stands 20 feet tall with a diameter of 100 feet.

Cleveland by Night

This is a city worth keeping alive.

Source

Depth...

Source

Life in the trees...

.

Source

Your problem is you're...

too busy holding onto your unworthiness.
- Ram Dass

Too many people...

over-value what they are not and under-value what they are.
-Malcolm Forbes

Photo blogging...

That is what Conscious Living is turning into...at least for now. Who knows what may lie ahead.

Sunset Tucson...

.
Makes you wonder what early man must have thought when he saw this...

Sunset Phoenix...

.
Glorious!

Sunset San Diego...

.
What does this make you feel inside?

Heartspeak...

There are times in your life when you must speak simply from your heart, especially when the issue relates to a passion buried inside you.

Sometimes your head and your heart don't agree. It's important to understand what each has to say and then find an appropriate way to allow both to influence you.

Don't be afraid to let your heart speak. We usually grow when we do.

Bar Harbor sunrise...

.

Imagine yourself sipping your morning coffee and watching this happen first hand.

Early morning fog...

.
Acadia National Forest, Maine

Source: Acadia Magic

What we love...

to do we find time to do.
-John Lancaster Spalding

Each day...

provides its own gifts.
-Martial

One step further...

Great poetry is always written by somebody straining to go beyond what he can do.
-Stephen Spender