A-Psalm-of-Life说课材料.doc

A Psalm of Life

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A Psalm of Life
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Life is full of challenges to its end,
And when they come, say, "Welcome, friend."

Tell me not, in sad words
Life is but an empty dream!
But the soul that sleeps is dead,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real and life is serious
And death is not its goal:
That we become dust,
Was not spoken of the soul.

No enjoyment, and no sorrow Is our destined end or way
It is to act, so that each tomorrow
finds us farther than today.

Art is long, and time is short,
And our hearts, though firm and brave,
Still, like drums, are beating,
Through their march to the grave.

In the world’s broad field of battle
In the time of life, be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be heroes in the fight!
Trust no future, however pleasant!
Let the dead past bury its dead!
Act in the wonderful present!
Always follow your heart.

Lives of great men all remind us that
We can make our lives splendid.
By passing away, we leave behind us
Footsteps on the sands of time.

Footsteps, that, perhaps another,
Sailing over life’s sea,
A hopeless and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall find courage again.

Let us then keep doing our best,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing
Learn to labor and to wait.
An Angle Wrote

Many people will walk in and out of your life,
But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.
To handle yourself, use your head; To handle others, use your heart.
Anger is only one letter short of danger.
If someone betrays you once, it’s his fault;
If he betrays you twice, it’s your fault.
Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events;Small minds discuss people.
God gives every bird its food,
But he does not throw it into its nest.
He who loses money, loses a lot;
He who loses a friend, loses more;
He who loses faith, loses everything.
Beautiful young people are gifts of nature,
But beautiful old people are works of art.
Learn from the mistakes of others.
You can’t live long enough to make them all by yourself.
The tongue weighs practically nothing,
But very few people can hold it.

Before I Go...
When my life has reached its very end
And I take that final breath,
I want to know I’ve left behind
Some "good" before my death.

I hope that in my final hour,
In all honesty I can say
That somewhere in my lifetime,
I have brightened someone’s day.

That maybe I have brought a smile
To someone else’s face
And made one moment a little sweeter
While they lived here in this place.

My friend, please be my reminder
And whisper softly in my ear ...
To be a "giver", not a "taker",
In the years I have left here.

Give me the strength I need,
Open up my mind and my soul
That I might show sincere compassion
And love to others before I go.

If there was not a heart touched by me
And not a smile was left behind ...
Then the life that I am blessed with
Will have been a waste of time.

With all my heart, I truly hope
To leave something here on earth ...
That touched another, made them smile
And gave my life some worth.

Beginning Today
Beginning today I will no longer worry about yesterday.
It is in the past and the past will never change.
I can only change by choosing to do so.
Beginning today I will no longer worry about tomorrow.
Tomorrow will always be there, waiting for me to make the most of it.
But I cannot make the most of tomorrow without first making the most of today.
Beginning today I will value each moment of my life.
I value this gift given to me in this world and I will generously share this gift with others.
I will use this gift to improve the lives of others.
Beginning today I will open my mind and my heart.
I will welcome new experiences. I will meet new people.
I will not expect perfection from myself nor anyone else. Perfection does not exist in an imperfect world.
But I will clap for the attempt to overcome human disadvantages.
Beginning today I am responsible for my own happiness and I will do things that make me happy ...Admire the beautiful wonders of nature, listen to my favorite music, pet a cat or a dog, soak in a bubble bath ...Pleasure can be found in the simplest things.
Beginning today I will learn something new; I will try something different; I will taste all the various flavors that life has to offer.
I will change what I can and the rest I will let go.
I will try to become the best person I can possibly be.
Beginning today. And every day.
Change Begins with Choice 
Any day we wish, we can order ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish, we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish, we can start a new activity. Any day we wish, we can start the process of change.
We can do it immediately, next week, next month or next year. If the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are.
We created our circumstances through our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices from today.
We cannot allow our errors in judgment to lead us down the wrong path. We must always think carefully about ourselves and our future and then we must make the very choices that will bring happiness and joy into our daily lives.
If you don’t like how things are, change them! You have the ability to transform every area in your life —and it all begins with your very own power of choice.

Choice over Destiny
What matters is what you want, what you expect, and what you do. They are three links in a chain, and the weakest one dominates.
What do you really want? That’s probably the hardest of the three. For example, do you want to be the CEO of a company? If you want to be a CEO, why? Is it because you enjoy the reality of what it means to be a CEO, or is it because you think it will buy you something else, like respect, money or power. Break it down into the essentials, and figure out what you really care about. You may find, with your mind, that some of the things you thought you wanted aren’t really the best way to get what you really want.
Then learn to expect it. You have to know that you just might get what you want if you try, and that you’ll probably get what you want if you try hard enough. You don’t need certainty. You just need to see enough possibilities to try for many things.
Finally, do whatever you need to do. Don’t wait for it. Waiting brings nothing compared to doing.
That’s what really makes a jewel. It’s your choice, not your destiny.

Deep Thoughts
—By William Butler Yeats
    There comes a time when you must stand alone.
You must feel confident enough within yourself to follow your own dreams.
You must be willing to make sacrifices .
Sometimes, familiarity and comfort need to be challenged.
There are times when you must take a few extra chances and create your own realities.
Be strong enough to at least try to make your life better.
Be confident enough that you won’t settle for a compromise just to get by.
Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life.
Don’t stand in someone else’s shadow when it’s your sunlight that should lead the way.
Work hard at what you like to do and try to overcome all obstacles. Laugh at your mistakes and praise yourself for learning from them.
Pick some flowers and appreciate the beauty of nature.
Say hello to strangers and enjoy being with the people you know.
Don’t be afraid to show your emotions. Laughing and crying will make you feel better.
Love your friends and family with your en-tire being because they are the most important part of your life.
Feel the calmness on a quiet sunny day.
Remember that life is better than it seems.

Do You Know Where You’re Going To?
—By Jennifer Lopez
Do you know where you’re going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to?
Do you know?

Do you get what you’re hoping for?
When you look behind you there’s no open door?
What are you hoping for?
Do you know?
Once we were standing still in time
Chasing the fantasies that filled our minds
You knew how I loved you, but my spirit was free
Laughing at the questions that you once asked of me

Do you know where you’re going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to?
Do you know?

Now looking back at all we’ve had
We let so many dreams just slip through our hands
Why must we wait so long before we see
How sad the answers to those questions can be?
Don’t Look Back
As you travel through life there are al-ways times
When decisions just have to be made,
When the choices are hard and the solutions seem scarce
And the rain seems to ruin your parade!

There are some situations where all you can do
Is simply let go and move on,
Gather courage together and choose a direction
That carries you toward a new dawn.

So pack up your troubles and take a step forward.
The process of change can be tough .
But think about all the excitement ahead, If you can be strong enough!

There could be adventures you never imagined,
Just waiting around the next bend .
And wishes and dreams just about to come true,
In ways you cannot yet understand!

Perhaps you will find friendships that spring from new interests,
As you challenge your present living state
And learn there are so many choices in life,
And so many ways you can grow!

Perhaps you will go places that you never expected
And see things that you’ve never seen,
Or travel to faraway worlds
And wonderful spots in between!

Perhaps you will find comfort in knowing that your friends
Are supportive of all that you do
And believe that whatever decisions you make,
They will be the right choices for you!

So keep putting one foot in front of the other
And taking your life day by day.
There’s a brighter tomorrow that’s just down the road.
Don’t look back; you’re not going that way!
From the Heart of a Happy Child

—By Donna McDermott
 Dear Mommy and Daddy,
I write this letter to you in the hope that you will consider your parenting methods before I arrive. I am a happy child. I grow on love and respect, and order and consistency . When I arrive, I will seem very small to you. Even though I don’t look like an adult, please understand that I am a human being.
Even though I will not speak words to you, I will know you with my heart. I will feel all of your feelings, and understand your thoughts. I will come to know you more than you may know yourselves. Do not be misled by my silence. I am open, growing and learning more rapidly than you can imagine.
I will grow from everything that I see, so please give me beauty to rest my eyes upon. I will record all that I hear, so please give me sweet music and language that tells me how much I am loved. Give me silence to rest my ears. I will understand everything that I feel, so please wrap my life in love.
I am waiting patiently to be with you. I am so happy to have the opportunity to be alive. Maybe when you see me you will remember how beautiful life is too! Your happy child
Goals Only Work When You Do
—By Rhoberta Shaler, Ph.D.
People often make resolutions at the beginning of the New Year. They work hard at them for a few weeks, maybe even a few months, and then forget about them. The next year, they make the same New Year’s resolutions. Why?
They may be making goals that are too unrealistic . That is not to say that they are not worthy goals. They need to be broken into smaller, more specific, and more attainable pieces. You probably know the joke. How do you eat an elephant? One spoonful at a time. It is the same with goals. Make spoon-size goals and achieve them easily. When you’ve mastered this, get a bigger spoon!
You may have filled your timetable with so many things that there is little room for your goals to grow. Be careful about how you use your time and what you focus on. Success often comes when you know what to leave out, rather than what to include in your life. Notice, too, how much time you spend on small things. Have you ever just "had" to clean your office before you could begin your project? Then you know how this works!
Goal setting is like the pig and the chicken who went out for a walk in the town. The chicken became excited when she saw a sign that said "Pork & Eggs, $ . ". She said to the pig, "We’ve got double billing again." The pig said, "For you, it’s all in a day’s work. For me, it’s total commitment ."Goal setting is all in a day’s work. Goal achievement is total commitment.

How Love Raises Children
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my drawing on the refrigerator , so I wanted to draw another one.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me even though it wasn’t even my birthday, so I knew that little things are special things.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I felt you kiss me goodnight, so I felt loved.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, so I learned that sometimes things hurt, and it’s all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you become very angry but still stay calm and talk to me, so I learned to do that too.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give my clothes that didn’t fit any more to the poor, so I learned to reach out to help others too.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you read just for fun, so I learned to love books and learning.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you look at the night sky, so I learned to see beauty in the world around me.
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you sing as you worked, so I learned that work can bring great satisfaction .
When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you fail and make mistakes, and I saw you keep doing your best, so I learned about perseverance .
How to Grow Happiness
Someone said that happiness comes from the ability to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, and to be needed. I have no objection to that. I only wonder how to grow happiness. Luckily, I came across the answer somewhere, and I feel like sharing it with you.
Step One
Plant yourself deep in a bed of faith, and pack it down solid and tight. Water it daily with positive thinking, and keep it wet just right. Quickly remove any seeds of worry, for they will soon grow, and keep out the weeds of despair . Nourish disappointments with hope whenever it is needed, and always stay cool when you feel angry. Cut away guilt or depression, for they create decay, and cultivate it with happy memories every day.
Step Two
Harvest the lessons of the past and nurture the roots of the present, for now is when you grow. Start planting for the future. Set your goals in a row. Spade the bed wel