“To give up on someone is to give up on the parts of me that I see in them.” –Russ Towne
The Duck Who Flew Upside Down
Click on Image to See Amazon.com Listing
Rusty Bear and Thomas Too
Click on Image to See Amazon.com Listing
Clyde and Friends 3 Books in 1!
Click on Image to See Amazon.com Listing
Slices of Life
Click Image to See Amazon Listing
Palpable Imaginings
Click on Image to Go to Amazon.com Listing
From the Heart of a Grateful Man
Click on Image to Go to Amazon.com Listing
Reflections of a Grateful Man
Click on Image to Go To Amazon Link
Heart Whispers
Click on Image to Go to Amazon Listing
russtowne
Poets Corner
Russ Towne's A Grateful Man 
I find myself reading that one over and over….
Thank you, Diana. I believe we are kindred spirits.
Russ
I love this. And to see the world in such a way, people in such a way, gives me such hope. Thank you for coming through my window today. You can’t know just how perfect a day it was for this very message. Welcome to my back porch Russ, I look forward to getting to know you.
Rhonda
It was my pleasure, Rhonda. I enjoyed the visit! (And I LOVE porches!) I look forward to getting to know you too.
Russ
Good. I always have the coffee on and the tea kettle hot.
Sounds wonderful! Thank you, Rhonda!
Russ
Amen !!!
Thank you, Boomie! Russ
Wow – this is a keeper Russ. How many times do we turn on back because we are projecting our own displeasure with ourselves? Or perhaps envy that this person is able to express a part of himself/herself which we keep hidden out of self consciousness or discomfort? A lot to think about – thank you so much!
Thank you, Mimi. I appreciate your kind and thoughtful comments.
Some of my greatest learning has come when I looked at the reasons why someone’s words or actions repelled me. When I looked inside myself I often found things that made me uncomfortable and diappointed in myself. Not a fun place to be at all! No wonder my ego so badly wanted me to turn my back in those situations.
But when I let my ego take charge of my actions and thoughts, I only fed the ugliness within myself. .
When I resisted the urge to turn away, I began to experience the greatness of the spirit within others, and began to notice how much better I began to feel about myself in the process.
It hasn’t been a quick or easy transformation–I’m a very slow learner and their is a whole lot of ugly to deal with–but it was an important one for me.
And I sometimes forget lessons and have to re-learn them, but that too is a normal part of my learning process.
Russ
I am so glad I have time now to get back on your blog and learn from your shared reflections. This one is a real thought-provoker!
Thank you, Jan. I’m glad that it is a thought-provoker. This is the first quote I’ve claimed is mine on this blog or anywhere else for that matter. I don’t think I’ve heard it anywhere before, but will withdraw the claim if someone else said it earlier. I want to give credit where credit is due, and finally decided that could include me where appropriate.
I think it would be cool to come up with something profound enough that others find it worth repeating and quoting. And from my ugly ego standpoint, I’d love to get credit for it. But another part of me–the part I most respect–would be happy to help the world with words and quotes that get repeated, but that list “anonymous” or “unknown” as the source.
It reminds of that story, based in ancient Rome or Greece, where someone who had observed many statues of great leaders asked the current leader–who was widely considered to be one of the best leaders ever–why there were no statues of him. The great leader replied: “When I’m dead, I’d rather that people ask why there are no statues of me instead of why there are.”
That’s kind of how I view my life. I’d like to live the kind of life that is statue-worthy, but without the statues.
Russ