“Success” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people  and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

 To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.  This is to have succeeded.

I keep thinking back to that quote. I love it. I was volunteering in a kitchen at a summer camp and there were twins who were selective mutes. She and her sister would not talk to anyone but their siblings and other girls their age. In the real world, they chose who they spoke to. But at camp, they began to speak with counselors and others; it was so cool for me to see that at the age of 15. At the end of the week, one of the girls gave me a bookmark. The bookmark (apparently she found it and wanted to give it to me) had that quote on it. She smiled and said, “This is for you”. I remember reading that quote and thinking wow. This is my favorite.

When I read it I still feel the same way I felt reading it for the very first time in 2007.

just a little something I wanted to share,

Helene