In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and the sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
Photo by Emily O'Dell
March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life’s path.
Emily O'Dell hiking in southern Lebanon
of
suffering
have
emerged
the
strongest
souls;
the
most
massive
characters
are
seared
with
scars.
Photo by Emily O'Dell
Love is the only flower that grows and blossoms without the aid of the seasons.
Photo by Emily O'Dell
Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her, unless she herself be your way and your guide?
Photo by Emily O'Dell
Now I realize that the trees blossom in Spring and bear fruit in Summer without seeking praise;
and they drop their leaves in Autumn and become naked in Winter without fearing blame.
Photo by Emily O'Dell
Your house shall not be an anchor but a mast.
It shall not be a glistening film that covers a wound, but an eyelid that guards the eye.
Photo by Emily O'Dell
Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face. But you are life and you are the veil.
Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror. But you are eternity, and you are the mirror.
Photo by Emily O'Dell
We live only to discover beauty. All else is a form of waiting.
Photo by Emily O'Dell
Yes, there is a Nirvana; it is in leading your sheep to a green pasture,
and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem.
Photo by Emily O'Dell
Like the seeds dreaming beneath the snow, your heart dreams of spring…
I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized,
than lord among those without dreams and desires…
