About Me

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I am a retired English teacher and department head, the mother of three grand mother of four, and have been married to the same man for 52 years. I subscribe to Dr. PM Forni's concept of Civility. I was born in South Philadelphia and grew up in the 'burbs. I love soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, the Phillies, the Eagles, and San Diego. I love being Mom, Aunt Kathy, Nona Kathy, and Teacher. I spend a lot of time in my gardens in the spring and summer, and in the winter I plan what I'm going to plant. I also am an avid reader and photographer.

Translator!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

One of my favorite quotes is one from Henry David Thoreau, "For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be, what is once well done is done forever."
Of course, Thoreau was writing about the abolition of slavery in Massachusetts. He said that once one man stood up against slavery, the revolution would begin and slavery would be as good as gone. He felt strongly that was all it would take: one man, one woman... Do I agree? Positively. I've seen it in my own lifetime.
So... believing in the importance of periodically 'taking stock' I started thinking and came up with these:

I believe in the basic goodness of humankind.
I believe that loving one another is strongly within our nature.
I believe we are an amalgam of all those with whom we have come in contact.
I believe that one person can make a monumental difference in the world and that love comes back to us threefold.
I believe that we are like a ripple effect -- that once that stone hits the pond, the ripples go on forever...
I believe that we still control our own destinies.
I believe that hatred is cancer: it eats away at the hater, but is toxic to all around it.

3 comments:

Deblynne said...

This post reminds me of the NPR show "This I Believe." Have you heard it or thought about contributing an essay to the show? Here is a link to their Web site:
http://is.gd/Ffg

Gin said...

Great post and you voiced your "beliefs" very well!!

Cheryl said...

'This much I know is true...' Well said Kathy. I echo your beliefs.